THE GAMES JOURNAL - Österreichisches Spiele Museum

KEYFLOWER / 40 LINES FOR MEEPLES tOUR REVIEWsatisfying game experience.Seventh (or „Key-venth“) those victorypoints: Those points can be accrued fromlots of different sources, with most of themonly materializing during Autumn and Winter.With the Autumn season tiles are auctionedwhich, among other things, rewardyou for the production of wood, stone oriron. As in each round always only a certainselection of the total of 12 season tiles appearsin relation to the number of playersin the game, it can of course happen that aprevious production of wood does not yieldany revenue or that an opposing playerwins the respective victory point area/tile inauction; contrary to production areas/tilesyou cannot use the victory point areas/tilesof another player. Something similar to thisgoes for Winter tiles: Those tiles are secretlyallocated to players already at the start ofthe game, so that you - in a way - can acceptthem as a special order and can adapt yourgame play to them; but if you manage toacquire the desired winter areas/tiles in theend will again rest with the outcome of athrilling auction.The potential frustration resulting from thismechanism - already one auction that youwon or lost can result in a dramatic differencein the number of victory points - aswell as the element of chance are integratedthat well and in an unobjectionable wayinto the other mechanisms of the game sothat one is more than ready to accept themas part of the game play.The pastel water-color design of areas/tilesis a question of taste, you like them or youdon’t, of course, but it must be pointed outthat the six screens have all been given anindividual design, too. The shape of the(very many) playing pieces is by now a classic,and as regards to all other aspects thegame box is well filled, too. A nice service isthe more than sufficient number of zip-locbags included with the components for awell-sorted storage of the piece.The rules in general are acceptable but, especiallyin the German translation, in partsworded a bit awkwardly. Before your firstgame you should take time to read throughthe rules at least twice. Real misinterpretations,basically, can only result from the descriptionof the course of an auction: Thisdescription creates the (wrong) impressionthat you must remove your workersfrom a tile in case you are outbid (as happensin many games since “Evo” by PhilippeKeyaerts or “Amun Re” by Reiner Knizia): Infact, you can raise a currently outbid offer,even several times, but you can also decideto send out workers previously used for anoutbid offer to do a completely differentjob.All in all, the rules expenditure is nicely limitedand offer an astonishingly free gameexperience, encumbered by only very fewrestrictions, so that more than the limitedgroup of experts will have a chance to appreciate“Keyflower”. This fact is also supportedby the clear and concise graphic designdenoting the possibilities provided bythe respective production areas/tiles.Despite the fact that there is no real story atthe back of the game, the game provides avery lively and alive flair: You expand yourvillage, employ your workers, enjoy yourproduction processes and the transport ofresources; you are anxious if you will acquirethe tiles you want to have and are aggravatedover intentional or unintentional interferenceby other players. As in all gameson optimization the game mechanismshere, of course, demand a certain interestin solving logic puzzles (as once formulatedby the Constitutional Court). In response tothe progressively more confusing displaywith every additional player in the gamethe only four rounds of the game can bedrawn out into a game of several hours.On the other hand, “Keyflower” providesvery active game play for two players onlywith a playing time of only about an hour,especially as in a game for two no abstractfeeling is created in contrast to many othergames for two. Harald SchatzlINFORMATIONDesigner: S. Bleasdale, R. BreeseArtist: Juliet Breese, Jo BreesePrice: ca. 44 EuroPublisher: R&D Games / Huch 2012www.huchandfriends.deEVALUATIONOptimization gameWith friendsVersion: multiRules: de enIn-game text: noComments:7th game of the „Key“ series * A trialgame seems opportune * Broodingand frustration potential is given *Chance element barely visible * Playsvery well for two playersCompares to:All worker placement gameOther editions:Currently nonePLAYERS:2-6AGE:12+TIME:90+My rating:40 Lines for MeeplesDagmar de Cassan, Editor-in-ChiefLent is a quiet time and should be ideal tofind time for playing games, what better opportunityis there for getting acquainted withpeople and to laugh together?!But, after all, the amount of fun to be hadalways depends on the game that is on thetable! Do I have to struggle to find my way inthe rules and in the game itself or is the flowof the game happening so fast that I cannotwait to make my move and simply forgetabout my right-hand neighbor?Yes, playing games can be a happy event forthe whole family when the right game is onthe table. And to make sure that this is thecase for you our WIN The Games Journal offerscurrent information to the most interestinggames, month for month, for each agegroup and any imaginable interest.When we add up Essen and Nuremberg wedid present 1682 (1060 + 622) new games inthose two special issues of WIN.Only we can help you with that amount ofgames!Check out also our games data base LUDO-RIUM, at http://www.ludorium.at.WIN The Games Journal is available now alsoas an eBook and as Kindle in German andEnglish and so can be even more easily readthen a PDF on the respective modern devices.When you like our WIN, please become a subscriber!We have a PayPal account, so the paymentof € 6,00 for an annual subscription can bemade easily and safely, see also http://www.gamesjournal.atThe printed edition of our Games Handbook(Games Companion) GAME FOR GAME 2013is available from SPIELBOX-SHOP.Info: http://www.gamescompanion.at WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website.ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 3

OUR REVIEWu LA LOIRETHERE IS MANY A CASTLE IN FRANCELA LOIRETRADE AND POSTAL ROUTES BETWEENCHAMBORD AND VILLANDRYIs said that there are more than 400 castleswhich enchant visitors along the Loire andsubsidiary valleys. The names of Chambord,Amboise, Chinon, Cheviny and Villandry - toname only a few of them - have broughtback memories of an unforgettable holiday,of a trip that I can only recommend to everybody.So, when I discovered the game by“Mind the Move” in Essen, I decided instantlyto buy the game, especially as designerEmanuele Ornella was familiar to me (fromOltre Mare, 2003). So there was nothingfor me but to go to the booth and buy theproverbial pig in a poke. Well, as we have arrivedat proverbs: Not all that glitters is gold!My reasons for that are coming up:It starts with a rulebook of six pages thatcomes across like one of 340 pages; whichnot necessarily must be wrong, despitemy being not in favor of games for whichreading the rules takes longer than playingthem. But here I must criticize that the mainportion is printed so small that a magnifyingglass would be useful.The Board:The board is put together from four partsthat are assembled like a puzzle and aremeant to depict the valley of the Loire fromNantes to Orleans and show 20 townshipsand castles. This plenitude means that thelocations in relation to the size of the boardare only 2 or 3 centimeters apart, which notonly renders the board confusing but turnsinto a real problem when playing with thefull complement of four players. On bothsides of the rivers, to the north and south, aroad connects the different locations. In theright-hand top corner you find a track holdingseven tiles that can be removed fromthe board, I will get back to their meaninglater.The game play:Each player is given a trader (playing piece)and a Messenger (Wooden Cube) as well asa ship (wooden disc) of his color. Furthermore,the game comprises horses (whiteRudolf AmmerUnfortunately the game suffers from bad graphics as wellas from a board that is way too smalldiscs) which influence the range of pieces.Apart from the fact that this configuration israther commonplace and uncreative (shipshave been represented much better in lotsof games) the use of traders or messengerstogether with horses turns out to be verycumbersome and demands - due to thenarrowness of the board - a lot of motorColor codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are4 ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 32 and 33www.gamesjournal.at

LA LOIRE / GABIS tOUR REVIEWskills from players.The Trader begins his game in Nantes andthe Messenger in the opposite direction, inOrleans. The Trader can in his travels buy thecommodities assigned to the respective villages(Beer, Grain, Wood and Cheese) whichhe then can sell in town. With the exceptionof wood the limit for all other goods is oneunit! The tiles I previously mentioned regulatethe buying price for commodities from1 to 4 Denars due to changing arrangementof the tiles on occasion of a buy. After eachbuy the corresponding tile goes to the utmostright and raises the price to the maximumwhile the tile previously there movesto the left and results in a lower price for thecommodity. When the Trader is in town hecan acquire buildings (farm, monastery, andcastle) for the villages or set up a palace intown. This helps him to acquire advantagesfor future buys. On top of this your own shipmoves downstream on the Loire river whichresults in one three ways to accrue victorypoints.Procedures are encumbered by the fact thatthere must be equilibrium on both sides ofthe river, meaning that you can only set upan additional building of any kind whensuch a building exists on the other side.Another way to acquire advantages is tobuy a character card. Those cards are availablefrom the “Circus” that moves from locationto location. Character cards change therespective commodity limits or extend yourmovement possibilities or reduce costs forbuildings etc. Twenty of those possibilitiesare available, a detailed description of allavailable characters is clearly beyond thelimits of this review. It is important to know,though, that the cards are coupled withvictory points, thus providing the secondmeans to acquire points and to win.Let’s take a look now at the second characterin the game, the Messenger. He is meantto represent the postal service that was setup in the Loire valley in the 15th century.While the Trader moves between locationsto acquire low-priced commodities in orderto sell them with a profit in Orleans orNantes the Messenger moves in the otherdirection to acquire “messages” and to deliverthem, Those messages have a value of1 to 4, and you need an apprentice or assistantcharacter card to deliver messagesof higher value. On the one hand deliveredmessages create income, but more importanton the other hand are victory pointsmarked on them, representing the 3rdmeans to win the game.Now we take a look at the components ofthe game, which in my opinion have beenchosen rather randomly and without aneye on possibilities. There are better waysto represent horses and ships than usingdiscs of different color. TO use a plain Pöppelfor the Trader might just be tolerable,but to use a simple wooden cube for themessenger as well as for a message, only abigger one, is, to say the least, rather ratherunimaginative.Well, I was not expecting horses similarto those from the classic „Jockey“ game,but the lure of a game partly is in its components,isn’t it? Just think of „Myrmes”and its cute ants! No comparison there! Inmy opinion the graphics of the game didleave the designer rather stranded. Thereare game boards that simple force you totry out the game, independent of its quality(Waka Waka comes to mind, where thegame board scores higher for me than doesthe game itself). But there‘s no accountingfor taste! What could have been achievedas regards to visual effects with a biggerboard! With the one provided the famousmagnificent castles are depicted as meagerhouses. But maybe my expectations havebeen too high and thus could not be metby the game and have resulted in my ratherharsh verdict. For me, La Loire is a simplemovement game that has been overdoneand rendered unnecessarily complex andalso made more difficult due to the narrownessof the board. I would advise to go tothe Loire Valley directly, you will have morefun this way. Rudolf AmmerINFORMATIONDesigner: Emanuele OrnellaArtist: Mattia MentastroPrice: ca. 35 EuroPublisher: Mind the Move 2012www.mindthemove.comEVALUATIONTrade and transport gameWith friendsVersion: multiRules: de enIn-game text: noComments:Very simple, only functional components* Board is too small for a fullcomplement of players * Rather simplemechanismsCompares to:All games where you buy in A and sell in BOther editions:Ystari, FrankreichPLAYERS:1-4AGE:10+TIME:120+My rating:GAMES BUYER INFORMATION SYSTEM - GABISSTRUCTUREEach game review also features an evaluation which canhelp you to find the game that best suits your tastes. Thecolor accompanying each game title represents the USERGroup. The headline also contains icons for age and numberof players.The BAR in the evaluation box displays color codes for up to10 features of a game.USER GROUPWe have defined 4 target groups (color accompanying thehead line)Kinder:Games for children an educational games. Adults can playin a guiding function.Familien:Children and parents play together, all have the samechance to win and have fun.Freunde:Young people and adults play together as equalsExperten:Games with special demands on rules and playing time.Especially for game geeksPlease note for the user groups Children, Family andFriends: Children who love to play can be ahead of theirpeers! Please note that our target group “families” does notimply the classical concept of „family games“! Furthermore,our user groups can overlap. The choice of suitable gamesalways depends on your playing partners and your funwith games!Games that are especially eligible for Solo play or for 2 playersor Large groups of players are marked with an icon.FEATURESEach game targets preferences for different features in aplayer, therefore each game is not suitable for each player.We have listed 10 features players note when decidingon a game. Only if a player finds his preferred features ina game he will enjoy the game. The color code marks thedominant features. Educational games train the highlightedpreference.Empty boxes: This feature is neclectable or not presentOne colored box: This feature is present, but not essentialTwo colored boxes: This feature is present and importantin the gameThree colored boxes: This feature is dominant and essentialChance:The game is influenced by dice, cards or any other form ofrandom generatorTactics:Take decision, short-term planning, planning based onone moveStrategy:Think ahead, long-term planning, planning for severalmovesCreativity:The player has to provide words, phrases, images and othercreative effortsKnowledge:Cultural and educational knowledge, long-term memoryMemory:Remember, learn by heart, short-time memoryCommunication:Talk to each other, negotiate, informInteraction:Influencing each other, bluffing, auctionDexterityMotor skillsAction:Body movement, balance and reactionADDITIONAL INFORMATIONVersion: The edition of the game on which the review isbasedRules: This lists the languages in which rules are available orare included in the game, often even more translations canbe found on the web.In-game text: A YES marks a game with languagedependentcomponents that cannot be played withouttranslation or knowledge of the languageWIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website.ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 5

OUR REVIEWu STAR WARS – ANGRIFF DER KLONKRIEGERFIGHT WE MUSTSTAR WARS – ANGRIFF DER KLONKRIEGERJEDI VERSUS DROIDSI am always on the search for a game thatwill be fun for the whole family and - for optimumplay - equally involves all membersof the family. When a game using cooperativemechanisms is published we are for itand it ends up on our game table. Whenthen one or more of these present are declaredfans of the Star Wars Saga we can killseveral birds with one stone.I can come out at this point, I am not a fan ofthe first minute, my father did forbid me togo and see the first film, but from the momentof being of age I am part of the StarWars universe. I always considered myself tobe rather informed on Star Wars, but my 10year old son has taught me differently. Whathe has acquired in knowledge astonishesme again and again and when I look intohis room I only see Lego ships and troopersand buildings from the saga. I think amongthe two of us he is the bigger fan. Fromthis point of view I could not disregard thisgame either, because he would not haveexcused this.The game tells the story of the end of Episode2, when the Jedi Knights fight for survivalin the arena of the Geonosians aftercoming to the assistance of Anakin Skywalker,Padme Amidala and Obi Wan Kenobi.The game box is the traditional big squareKosmos box, in which Settlers of Catan hasbeen packed, too. The graphics have beentaken from the film and show the actingpersonae. What irks me every time I look atit is that the box also shows Darth Maul, whohas died in the first episode and only comesback into the story (by way of rumors) togetherwith his brother in the Clone Wars.But he seems to belong to the corporateidentity, but Yoda belongs to it, too, and hewould have been a better pick, as he appearsin Episode 2.The game board shows the arena on Geonosis,shaped like a hexagon made up from113 small hexagons which are arranged in27 different areas. Those areas are made upfrom 3 to 6 hexagons. At the center of theboard you find 4 spots showing the threecolumns to which the heroes were chainedin the film. Those spots cannot be enteredthroughout the game.Players place their markers in the vicinityof those four spots, preferably you choosesmaller areas, because the larger areas of 5and 6 hexes should be emptied rather at theend of the game, but more on tactic later.Each area has its own tile and at the startyou randomly draw 12 of those face-downtiles.On the hexes of the areas denoted by thefirst four tiles drawn you place droids ofStrength 1, the second 4 areas drawn arefilled with super droids of Strength 2 andthe last four areas are filled with Droidikasof Strength 3. Hexes that are occupied byplayer markers are not filled with droids. TheForce marker is placed on area One of theKurt SchellenbauerAt long last, a cooperative game again, which gets ratherboring quickly due to lack of alternate strategies, but still agood game for families and Star War fans.track which goes up to Ten.In each round three standard task cards arelaid out and one card from the red stack.Those cards from the red stack are numberedand you start with Card #1. The taskcards set conditions for dice or sums of dicethat need to be placed in order to completea task. Should you not be able to completestandard task, additional droids of differentstrength enter the game or you lose acertain amount of Force. When you cannotcomplete a red task, the game wins instantly.Each player starts with a combat board fortheir chosen character, in relation to thenumber of players you choose the correctside and 16 dice are are distributed amongplayers; in case of three players the boardstell you who is given the 16th die.Around the arena there is a track on whicheach step of the game is depicted and youcan complete them one by one by movingthe cannon boat along the track. This enablesyou to keep track of the game. Whenthe set-up of the game is done, each playertakes one of his dice and all roll them simultaneously.Then players confer togetherhow to best use the dice result. Then you rollanother die and deliberate until all 16 dicehave been place.What do I get for placement of my dice? Onthe one hand you need them to completethe demands of the task cards, and on theother hand there are spots on your combatboard which are different for each player.To the left of the board you have spots fordirect combat, the middle are shows spotsfor acquiring Force - they are identical forall players - and the right-hand side of theboard shows special areas for Force and indirectcombat, for dice results from 1 to 3.There are characters for combat alone whoreceive bonuses on dice when those diceare used for direct combat, and then thereare player characters who receive moreForce and may remove certain droid tilesColor codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are6 ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 32 and 33www.gamesjournal.at

STAR WARS – ANGRIFF DER KLONKRIEGER tOUR REVIEWfrom the board, this is called indirect combat.This difference between direct and indirectcombat is made for one reason: In directcombat your marker on the board must beable to reach the droid tile you want to fightand your marker can move after combat. Tojump over tiles or markers is not allowed.In indirect combat this need not be thecase, but you cannot move your markerafter combat either. This is important as - atthe end of possible conflict - you check forareas that are completely empty. If they arenot completely empty each hex is refilledinstantly unless a marker sits in one of thefree hexes in an area.Using the middle area of the combat boardplayers can acquire one unit of Force witha dice roll of 2 or 3, two units of Force witha roll of 4 and 5 and 3 units of Force with aroll of 6. This amount is added to the Forcetrack, usable for all players. The amountof available Force can never exceed Ten.Should the amount of Force fall to Zero orbelow Zero the game has won instantly.For direct combat you use your dice resultsplus bonuses and take droids of all threeclasses equaling this total off the board.Then areas that are only partially emptyare refilled and then you check if task cardshave been completed. Then droids of differentstrength enter the arena by drawingface-down area tiles as you did at the startof the game and the track tells you whichkind of droids enter the arena.At this point new task cards are laid out anda new combat round starts. This scheme isenacted five times and ends with the arrivalof droids in the arena. Then you check forwhich of the three kinds of droids there arefewest left in stock, because this number isdeciding the rank players achieved in thisgame. If 1-4 droids are left you are a JediYoungster, a Jedi Padawan in case 5 to 8 remainingdroids, a Jedi Knight in case of 9 to12 and a Jedi Master in case of 13 or moreremaining tiles-If it should happen that all tiles of a kind ofdroids are on the board the game has woninstantly.One must pay one’s respect to the designerduo because to develop a game based ona film or a merchandising product is extremelydifficult, as one is usually ratherrestricted in using one’s ideas. It is not thedevelopment that is necessarily difficult,but the game must be playable and this isthe challenge. The designers have masteredthis well, the game is well-made and theyhave managed to mirror the combat situationin the arena and to integrate the flairof the film into the game. One really feelstransported into the arena in the middle ofcombat.In a variant provided in the game you canmove R2D2 around the arena, he must firstpick up C3PO’s head and then take it to thebody and put the head back on. For this taskyou must allocate 2 to 3 dice to complete it.Another variant gives you the opportunityto reduce the number of droid tiles in stock.At this point an apology is due to all who donot have much truck with the Star Wars universeand a thank you for having reachedthis point of the review.As one being in the know I might have assumedknowledge from you on lots ofcharacters and other terms; I could fill thiscomplete issue easily with explanations tomake everything clear but that would me amisappropriation of this journal. It is betterto leave you in the fogs of lacking informationand we clear it up in a personal talk or,even better, you ask my son.The components of the game are, of course,graphically excellent, due to stringent prerequisitesfrom the License arrangement,but that the player markers and the cannonboat are beautiful plastic pieces is surelythanks to the publisher. These figures canbe nicely painted, too. By the way, the playermarkers impersonate Anakin Skywalker, ObiWan Kenobi, Kid Fisto and Mace Windu.The rules are very easy, simple, clear andnicely structured. They basically leave onlyone question unanswered: When the areatiles have been all used for the first time theyare shuffled and re-used. Do the drawn tilesneed to be kept secret or can I look at whichare already gone? We have played it thisway, because everything else would havecomplicated matters unnecessarily if youwould have to remember which tiles havebeen drawn and would add nothing to thefun of the game, but rather hinder it.Should you draw tiles in the second run thatare already filled you discard them and drawnew tiles.Let’s take a look at tactic and also at theproblem of the game. Unfortunately, thereis only one tactic. But I must mention thatafter lots of games we are way beyond thepoint of only wanting to survive; we wantto become Jedi masters. But this so far wasout of our reach, we did not even manage tobecome Jedi Knights.Well, we have pondered and calculated,we have found out that there are three taskcards for which it is better not to completethem because the dice you need to set onthem need more points than you wouldhave to spend to defeat the droids thatwould come into play for the uncompletedtask. And we have learned the empty largeareas only when they are discarded in thesecond run, because this way droids onlypour into areas of three or maximum fourhexes. We always kept an eye on which classof droid had how many tiles in stock. Usingone unit of Force you can raise or lower theresult of a die by one point.We never achieved a better result than 8and so we are still Jedi Padawans, apprenticesin the Jedi School. So, the game fallsback on luck of the dice or on the questionof drawing lots of small areas at the beginningor lots of big ones. When lots of smallones arrive it is easier, the same goes for exactdice results. If you have the right areasthe dice do not comply and if you roll nicelythen the areas will be wrong.This in turn is not very satisfactory and thegame fizzles out because of this, becauseonly addiction will entice you to go on andto try the impossible. When you have managedJedi Knight level you will surely stopto play and the game will end up in a cornernever to be played again.But I have to remain realistic, because thischallenge is not valid for a family game andfor fans of Star Wars. For them, the point ofthe game rather is the flair of Star Wars orcooperation in a game. In this case you willalso not play 12 games in a week but onenow and then and then you will have funwith it for much longer.All in all a nicely made game based on thefilm offering all that can be desired to familiesand fans. Kurt SchellenbauerINFORMATIONDesigner: Inka + Markus BrandArtist: SENSIT CommunicationPrice: ca. 33 EuroPublisher: Kosmos 2012www.kosmos.deEVALUATIONCooperative placement gameFor familiesVersion: deRules: deIn-game text: noComments:Clear, easy rules * Cooperative game *Film nicely implemented * No alternatestrategiesCompares to:First game of this kindOther editions:Currently nonePLAYERS:2-4AGE:8+TIME:45+My rating:WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website.ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 7

WAKA WAKA tOUR REVIEWThe game is played in clockwise direction,started by the player who sits next to theelephant depicted on the board.In his turn a player can play up to threecards, as depicted on the board. Then youdraw cards or take gold. The more cards youplayed in your turn the fewer cards or goldyou can take. If you do not play cards at allyou draw three cards or take three units ofgold or any mixture of gold and cards. Incase of one card played you take two cards/gold units; in case of two cards played onecard/gold and, in case of three cards played,you get no supplies at all.Astrid Willim„Waka Waka“ is an entertaining family game that isgraphically very attractive and relatively easy to learn.After each card you play the instructions/effectsare implemented immediately. A soonas the player is done with playing cards hetakes cards and/or gold accordingly fromstock. On the game board there is a cardplacement spot for each player on which hecan always check how many cards he willget when he has played has cards. Whateveryou play, you can never have more than sixcards in hand at the end of your turn. Cardsyou played are discarded at the end of theturn and the boats refilled with commoditiesbefore the next player starts his turn.Some cards can also be utilized by otherplayers, when they show a gold symbol inthe top left hand corner. To use such a cardyou must pay one piece of gold to the ownerof the card.The most important card in the game is„trade. This card offers you a choice betweenthree different actions: Buy commodities,sell commodities or advance one statuslevel. As soon as a player wants to buycommodities, using the symbol with theboat on the card, he decides on one of theboats and pays the respective costs. Thenhe takes all commodities from the boat andplaces them on free spots in his commoditiesdisplay. In case of a surplus the playerdecides which commodities he outs backinto stock. When a player would prefer tosell commodities this is denoted by the lowersymbol on the card. It shows that twoidentical commodities must be discardedand earn the player 10 units of gold.Should a player have collected the necessarycommodities depicted on the status tableto advance one status level, he can usethe card „trade“ to to this. The card showsa Pöppel for this and an arrow pointingupwards. The next-highest level on the tableshows which commodities you need toreach that level. Those commodities mustbe discarded and the marker is advanced.What happens if you do not get the coveted“Trade” card? Well, in this case you candiscard any combination of three cards andsimulate “Trade” with this. Those cards ofcourse then are treated as if you played onecard as regards to supply.The status tables depict certain commoditiesthat are demanded, but also symbolsfor each kind of commodity, when two symbolsare present twice each, that is, a total offour symbols, this means that you need twounits each of two different commodities inorder to advance by one level.In addition to „Trade“ there are some othercards allowing different actions; there isfor instance the Chimpanzee, who allowsto draw an additional card and to look attwo face-down commodities in a boat. TheDrummer can be used by all players, whenthey pay one unit of gold to the owner,and allows to discard between one andfive cards and to draw the same number ofcards from the pile. The Seer, like the Porterand the Collector, too, can be used by allplayers and allows you to draw two cards.The Porter swaps a commodity with onefrom stock and the Collector earns you anadditional commodity from stock. The RainMaker earns you an amount of gold equalto your status level, the Tribe Elder makesanother player reveal all hand cards and letsthe active player use one of those cards asif having played it himself. The other playerkeeps the card and can then swap a cardand the Flare Thrower duplicates the cardthat was played before.A card that massively influences the gameis the Shaman. This card enables you to advanceon status level by payment of 12 unitsof gold. This is only possible, though, whenthe fire tile is showing the burning fire at thispoint in the game. Should the fire be extinctyou cannot play the Shaman. The fire tile isalways turned over to the other side whenthe card “Shaman Fire” is drawn. If you drawthis card you must reveal it instantly, turnover the fire tile and draw a replacementcard.The game ends when a player has reachedto top status level. The current round is finished.Should then more than one playerhave achieved top status, the winner is theplayer owning the most gold. Should therestill be a tie the winner is the player who advancedlast to the top status level.It is interesting to know that this game hada predecessor, that is, „Jambo“. The graphicdesign is the same, but Jambo was a gamefor two players only. The cards in Waka Wakaare in parts identical to those from Jambo,the commodities, too, but in Jambo thereare items that give you certain advantagesand the market spaces can be expanded.You always have five actions to implementwhich you can use to play cards or drawcards. There are also commodities cards thatshow which commodities can be bought orsold, with a different price applying for bothactions.„Waka Waka“ definitely belongs to the genreof family games. The element of chanceunfortunately is very strong, as the cardsdepend solely on luck of the draw. Furthermore,the game very often ends in a draw,triggered by the fact that someone is ableto use the Shaman in the last round, climbsthe last step and claims victory, too!„Waka Waka“, the motto, which means somethinglike „up and away“ or „let’s start“should be program! You embody a traderand must see to it that your trading flourishes.All in all „Waka Waka“ is a nice gamethat provides fun also for inexperiencedplayers.Astrid WillimINFORMATIONDesigner: Rüdiger DornArtist: Pohl & Rick/ Michael MenzelPrice: ca. 22 EuroPublisher: Kosmos 2012www.kosmos.deEVALUATIONTile collectingFor familiesVersion: deRules: deIn-game text: yesComments:Cleary structured flow of the game *Very pretty design * Easily understoodrulesCompares to:JamboOther editions:Currently nonePLAYERS:2-4AGE:10+TIME:60+My rating:WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website.ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 20139

OUR REVIEWu YEDOBEWARE OF THE WATCH PATROL!YEDOSTRATEGIC POWER PLAY WITH ALL YOU’VE GOT„I’ll go and make some coffee in the meantime“,Carmen announced when I didspread the huge amount of componentsfrom Yedo on the table. There won‘t bemuch room left when the huge, but fantasticallycoherent and harmonious board isspread on the table. All the same, nearly 170cards in different sizes and with differentuses want to be stored on it and next to it,as well as 40 weapons tiles, seven Geishas,five Blessing markers, one personal storageboard for each player, upgrades, cardboardcoins and 38 wooden playing pieces andmarkers.„Setting up this thing takes longer than thegame itself!“ I am not paying any attentionto comments from my player friends whowill take up the roles of five clan chiefs in17th century Japan - also because they arewrong. Because Yedo takes at least two orthree hours to play and setting it up doesnot take that much time. After Carmen hasreturned with a steaming mug of coffee tothe table, where in the meantime all is inits place and offers a wonderful overviewover seven districts in Yedo from the castledistrict to the red-light district we can start!Something for everybodyYou like auctions? Then you are okay withYedo! You love free trading as in settlers?Then you are lucky, too! You fall for classicworker placement or rather prefer eventcards, which influence a game drastically,as in Säulen der Erde? Congratulations, youhave come to the right game! Because allthis you can find in Yedo. And saying this,we have already presented the individualphases of the game, that are implementeda total of eleven times each.Basically, we aim for prestige points, as soStefan OlschewskiDespite the fact that the plenitude of components andthe copious rules are rather daunting at the start, the firstgame shows how logical and stringent the flow of thegame runs. An impressive tidbit for expert players, whichmight entice families to try it due to the beautiful design,as the age recommendation seems a bit high in the end.often in a game, which are mainly awardedfor the completion of secret mission cards.What exactly we have to do we learn whenwe turn the cards over, but do know in advancethat it is potentially more difficult tocomplete a yellow or a red mission than agreen one. The black missions are the hardestto crack - for this we might have to assassinatesomeone or the other at somepoint. All this happens completely withoutbloodshed, because to complete a missionmeans that the prerequisites must be met.So you might have to have your own men incertain districts while at the same time owningcertain kinds of weapons or upgrades ormust discard special tiles or pay money. Thisin turn is rewarded as stated on the card,with money, additional cards and- at longlast - also with prestige points.At the start of each round you cheerfullybid for action cards, bonus cards, weapons,disciples (playing pieces) mission cards andwhatever else might be lying around onthe board. But, you can only place one bid,that’s it! If you started the auction you are allowedto change your bit once and then thewinner of the auction is known. If you donot want to bid you pass and receive threecoins from the bank.In the Event Phase the market is replenishedwith new weapons and an event is revealedthat applies to all players, but against whichyou can protect yourself by discarding moneyor a Blessings marker.Following this event phase the playing pieces,called disciples in Yedo, are placed in turnon the board or into upgrades on your personalboard, before the Watch Patrol comesinto play in the truest sense of the word.Go to prisonColor codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are10 ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 32 and 33www.gamesjournal.at

YEDO tOUR REVIEWThe seven districts are arranged in a circlearound the Watch Patrol’s tower and thisWatch Patrol is making his regular roundsin Yedo. Whoever he finds when he entersa district by means of the one step he isallowed he arrests and puts him back intostock. So it is good that you can influencethe Watch Patrol’s movement with actioncards or use them to protect yourself frombeing arrested. Whoever is left on the boardafterwards and has his disciples in the Marketor Tavern district, can now trade andbarter to his heart’s content with otherspresent there, regardless if the commoditiesare money, weapons, geishas, actioncards or bonus cards. When this is done theactions of players are implemented, that is,the placed disciples are activated.Multiple effects of board areas:Each area in a district has very special effectswhich can give you for instance an additionaldisciple, a Geisha or additional money. Inthe Tavern district you can also acquire anupgrade for your own clan House (playerboard), in the Market district you can buythe coveted weapons. To list all optionshere is not necessary, the plethora of optionswhich of course you cannot make useof as intensely as you would want to, can beimaged easily now. Alternately, and that isthe mean think, you can use your presencein a district to complete a mission which,among other prerequisites, demands thepresence of a piece in exactly this district.This of course, loses you the direct effect ofthe district.The missions in turn are the meat and bonesof Yedo and earn you all that what you canotherwise only acquire painstakingly, oneby one, and usually for good money in theindividual districts - albeit in higher numbers.There are four different kinds of missionsin play, of different levels of difficultyfor completion. The harder a mission is tocomplete the higher the reward will be bein the end.Despite those cards being of rather a bigformat, the tiny symbols of them denotingwhat you need to have or need to discard inorder to complete the mission are not easyto decipher in a dimly lit room, but contraryto this the text introduction to eachcard is very atmospheric and tells us whatwe achieve by meeting with the depictedrequirements. When we take a look at thecategories in which the missions are sorted- spying, theft, abduction, assassinationattempt or warfare - makes it clear ratherquickly that as clan chiefs we plan somevery dubious machinations. But what is oneprepared to do for a bit of prestige ….?And then we were doneOver eleven challenging and thrillingrounds (Carmen was so engrossed that sheforgot to drink her coffee which is lukewarmby now) we collect cards, markers, moneyand tiles and complete our secret missionsuntil the clan chief owning most prestigepoints, supplemented by points accruedfrom bonus cards that one might have acquiredduring the game, wins the game.The explanation of what we experiencedin those eleven rounds takes up a total of16 pages in the rules, which at first glanceis quite a deterrent, as is the huge amountof components which must not only be correctlyplaced and distributed, but whoseeffects and functions must be grasped tostart with and whose interdependenciesyou must remember. During the game itselfit becomes clear rather quickly that all this isnot as complicated as it is presented on paper.The course of events over seven phasesis logical in itself and the actions really dosupport the story, and the other way round.Of course, I must, when I want to murder thesun of Cloth Merchant Hyoshi with the helpof a poison cocktail, have a disciple in theMarket District and be able to show Poisonas a weapon. So, despite all the complexity,you get your bearings rather fast. So, atthe end, the age denoted on the box, 14+,seems a bit too high.Yedo does not really offer anything reallynew, but the combination of elements isfelicitous and harmonious, game mechanicsand story support each other and the alloverresult plays really nicely.For beginners the rules provide a more simpleGeisha version. Only when you are reallyprepared to enter the ruthless fight forhonor and fame at all costs you should tryto play the Samurai version. But, at the end,those versions do not differ in the amountof rules or the flow of the game, but only inthe fact that fate, that is, event cards, is evennastier towards clan chiefs than the Geishaversion. Well, life is not fair and Yedo mirrorsthis wonderfully. Luckily, it is only a game ….Strategic tactic?According to eggertspiele Yedo is a tacticalgame. Yes, maybe. But only when placingthe pieces, when of course everybodytakes care to note what others are doingand where - based on the current situationon the board - the most can be gained. Butall in all, each clan chief maps out his ownstrategy in order to complete the missionsin hand. How and where do I most quicklyacquire geishas, weapons, blessings and upgradesthat I need? This is the ruling question.And to answer it you need long-termplanning. So it can happen that some playersdiligently complete mission after missionand it seems that the will decide thewinner among themselves, until, shortlybefore the game ends, someone completestwo or three red or black missions in oneturn, flatten out everybody else and collectprestige points without end. You cannotachieve this using only tactics consideringthe here and now.ConclusionAt long last a strategy game that did reallyfascinate be because the mechanismsblend perfectly into the topic and do notgive a feeling of being imposed upon it. Thearc of suspense is perfect, as until the end,despite openly marked prestige points, youdon’t really know who will win in the end.A classic worker placement with many newideas which finally result in the total beingmore than its parts - even in a game for twoYedo works perfectly.There is only one real point to criticize: TheAsian-style lettering on the cover is so stylishthat one can barely decipher the namesof the designers. There is nothing more togrouse about from a player point of views.Only Carmen’s coffee is cold now.. Stefan OlschewskiINFORMATIONDesigner: T. V. Ginste, W. PlanckeArtist: Franz + Imelda VohwinkelPrice: ca. 50 EuroPublisher: eggertspiele/Pegasus 2012 TIME:www.pegasus.de180+EVALUATIONStrategy gameFor expertsVersion: deRules: de enIn-game text: yesComments:Impressive design * Excellent components* Copious rules rather deterringat the start * Well-balanced mechanisms* Challenging to the very endCompares to:Worker placement gamesOther editions:English language editionPLAYERS:2-5AGE:14+My rating:WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website.ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 11

PLAYED FOR YOUu ALLES KÄSE! / ALLES ZAUBEREIALLES KÄSE!TAKE CARE, THERE ARE TRAPS!Mice want cheese! But it’s difficultand nasty here, becauseinstead of a cat the game holdstraps nicely smelling of cheese,so take care! As a mouse youshould collect most cheeseholes, but there could be a trapunder an enticing piece of valuablecheese!The game comprises 36 cardswhich on the back side showdice pip symbols from 1 to 6,for cheese holes, each numberis present six times. On the frontof the cards you find 18 timescheese and 18 times a trap.Cards are shuffled face downand stacked and then you layout six of them so that thecheese holes are showing. Youroll the die: When no card withthe resulting number of holes isvisible in the display you chooseany card and look at the frontside secretly and alone. But ifthere is a least one card showingthe number of cheese holes correspondingto the dice result youcan either keep the card or takeit out of play. If you keep it youset it down open-faced; if youtake it out of the game you setit aside unrevealed. In each caseyou replenish the display with anew card.When any player turns up histhird card showing a trap thegame ends; this player has lostthe game and cannot score hiscards; all others add the numberof cheese holes on their cards,trap cards are no longer relevant.When the stack of cards has beenused up before this, the gamealso ends and all players counttheir cheese holes. You win withmost cheese holes on your cards.Well, this game is a bit like goodcheese - solid conservative fareto served anytime, appropriatefor all ages and occasions; generallyeasily to digest and very wellsuited for dessert after a gamesevening. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-6Designer: Meelis LooveerArtist: Michael MenzelPrice: ca. 7 EuroPublisher: Abacusspiele 2013www.abbacusspiele.deEVALUATIONDice gameFor familiesVersion: deRules: deIn-game text: noComments:Good, solid rules * Quicklyexplained * Good for inbetweenor for beginnersCompares to:Dice games with memoelementsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:6+TIME:15+ALLES ZAUBEREIMAGICAL HATIN THE GRANDFATHER CLOCKThe magician has hidden hismagical utensils even from himselfand now needs the help ofplayers, in the guise of little apprenticemagicians, to get theutensils out of their hiding places.What does the magician needand where might it be hidden?25 tiles feature the magiciansmagical utensils, you spreadthose tiles out backside up; thebackside is the side featuring acolored background and a pieceof furniture or another room element.The tiles must be placedwell spread-out. One die showsthe five hiding places in theroom and a joker, the other dieshows al magical utensils andalso one joker.You roll both dice - then youmay turn up a card featuring aback side corresponding to thefurniture you rolled; when yourolled the joker you choose ahiding place of your liking andname it before turning it up. Ofcourse you try to turn up thecard under which you suspectthe magical utensil you rolledto be hiding. When you turn upthe correct card correspondingto the dice roll you may roll andsearch again. You may also taketiles that have already been takenby players when you roll thisparticular combination again.When the tile is already with youyou turn it up and back downagain. When there are no tilesleft for any of the hiding placesthe game ends and you win ifyou collected most tiles.Not magic at all, but a very nicelymade variant of a memo game inwhich you must also rememberwho already found what. Andthe hiding-places themselvesintroduce information that youmust remember. An ideal gamefor the series carrying the HappyFamily label! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4Designer: Wolfgang DirscherlArtist: not statedPrice: ca. 10 EuroPublisher: Noris Spiele 2012www.noris-spiele.deEVALUATIONMemo gameFor familiesVersion: deRules: deIn-game text: noComments:Series Happy Families *Attractive memo variant* Information comes indifferent guisesCompares to:All memo games featuring differentimages on pairsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:4+TIME:20+12Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS areISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013www.gamesjournal.atexplained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 32 and 33

ASTRONUTS / AZTLÁN tPLAYED FOR YOUASTRONUTSFIND THE NUT AND RULE THE GALAXY!Players travel across the galaxy,land on planets, meet aliens,prospect for nuts and establishcolonies in order to rule thegalaxy when they own most ofthem.You place a ship one one of theplanets in one of the cornersof the board to establish yourhome base and put one of yourlittle men on the action trackat the bottom of the box (yes,there!)Then players in turn place a nutfor a total of two different nutson small planets and three differentones on big planets; eachplayer keeps four nuts and ifthere is a rest it is put into thebox as general stock.You announce the number of actionsyou want to take and rollthe die: When the result is higherthan your announcement yournumber of actions is doubledand you mark the number on theaction track. Then you chooseone action after the other andimplement it: Move a ship by onestep - when you reach a planetyou roll the die and dependingon the result different eventshappen, problems with theship or the planet or the nativepopulation or whatever else canhappen in space. Other actionsare taking nuts from a planet,setting up a colony - you pay anut and place a man; build a ship- at the cost of four nuts; attackanother player’s ship or colony -the attack is decided by dice roll;improve technology - at the costof one nut and 4 actions (!), thetechnology you acquire dependson the color of the nut you pay.A small box full of game play - awitty family game with a bit oftactic, a bit more luck of the diceand a lot of fun and sparkle; thegame is rather balanced despiteintense roll of dice and there areno irreparable catastrophes, either.INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4Designer: Angelo PorazziArtist: Angelo PorazziPrice: ca. 7 EuroPublisher: Mücke Spiele 2012www.muecke-spiele.deEVALUATIONPlacement/collecting gameFor familiesVersion: multiRules: de en fr itIn-game text: noComments:Slightly satirical topic * Tacticpossible despite heavydice rolling * Very attractivecomponents * Simple basicrules * Nice family gameCompares to:All dice-governed placement andcollecting gamesOther editions:Currently noneAGE:6+TIME:30+AZTLÁNRISE OF THE AZTECSFour tribes want to survive withthe help of the gods and prosperwhen they co-exist peacefully,but the gods also love those whofight and offer sacrifices to them.In five eras you choose a powercard at the start of the era froma set of card identical for eachplayer; a power card determinesstrength of your tribe and theoptimum landscape for your tribefor the current era, but can alsoearn you victory points at the endof the game if it was not used.In each era you place in turn acertain amount of tribesmen -one by one and in relation to thenumber of players - into emptyor already occupied areas, withmen of your own or men of otherplayers, the only forbidden areais water. After placing a man youcan move this man or any otherof your own men already placedinto an adjacent landscape. Whenall men are placed a conflictphase follows with evaluationin order of play. The currentlyactive player chooses - for eacharea in which he dominates, thatis, has most strength from numberof tribesmen times the valueof the current power card - if hewants to coexist or fight. If hefights, men of weaker tribes areremoved; if he coexists he takes aProsperity Card, which he can useimmediately or keep for later use.When all conflicts are decidedcontrolled territories are scored,yielding bonuses for correlationswith the current power card.Very simple mechanisms for agame that is not simple at all,starting with keeping orientatedon the board that is rather full towardsthe end of the game. Whenyou are ahead early you will behard to stop, the prosperity cardsyielding extra points can decidethe game and well-timed interruptionsof other people’s territoryconnections are important,too! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:3-4AGE:13+Designer: Leo ColoviniArtist: Drew BakerPrice: ca. 40 EuroPublisher: Heidelberger 2012www.heidelbaer.deEVALUATIONPlacement gameWith friendsVersion: deRules: de en itIn-game text: yesComments:Rather unpredictable up tothe last round, you need tomemorize Power Cards thatwere played * Co-existenceimportant for acquiringProsperity Cards * Conflict importantfor disruption/upkeep of territoryconnectionsCompares to:Clans and other games on majoritiesin territoriesOther editions:Aztlan, Ares and Red GloveTIME:60+WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 13www.gamesjournal.at 13

PLAYED FOR YOUu BLUMEN FINDEN / BRAWLING BARONSBLUMEN FINDENSMILING BUGS ARE NOT IN DEMAND!The cute little smiling bugs arehiding among the flowers andgrin at players when uncovered,because, after all, you do notwant to find bugs, you want tofind flower faces.There are 16 big flowers madefrom wood, which are shaped differentlyand show different flowerfaces in different colors. The dieonly shows colors, no flower faces.All flowers are spread out facedown on the table.You roll the die and may turn upa flower - when the color on thedie and the color of the flower youturned up are the same you takethe flower. When die color andflower color doesn’t correspond orwhen you have uncovered a bugyou turn over the flower again.Each shape of flower is presentonce in each color and onceshowing a bug. From the shapesof flowers that were already takenyou can deduct which color mightstill be hiding under which flowershape. When only bugs are left onthe table you win with 3-6 flowers,depending on the number ofplayers.When several players hold thesame number of flowers they winthe game together.Colors and shapes of flowers arenot important at all to win thegame, you simply win with thenecessary number of flowers -colors and shape only give hintswhere flower faces could still behidden; when you rememberthat all flower faces on five-petalflowers have already been foundyou need not turn over the last remainingone, because there mustbe a bug underneath.So a good memory is necessary,on the one hand for where bugsmight be, and on the other forwho found which flower so thatyou have a chance to turn up aflower instead of a bug.Nice for children, beautifully simpleand simply beautiful! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-5Designer: Thomas LieschingArtist: Johann RüttingerPrice: ca. 15 EuroPublisher: Noris Spiele 2012www.noris-spiele.deEVALUATIONDice and memo gameFor childrenVersion: multiRules: de en fr itIn-game text: noComments:Simple rules * Woodencomponents * Pure memogameCompares to:All memo gamesOther editions:Currently noneAGE:3+TIME:15+BRAWLING BARONSESTATES AND WAR, WAR ABOUT ESTATESThe King encourages his lieges toexpand their estates with newlyconquered lands. If he wants towin the king’s favor each baronmust construct buildings inorder to enhance the magnificenceof the kingdom or mustgive support to the king withmilitary units. And as the kingconcentrates on those warsalone he does not register whenbarons are using their elbows orother means on other barons!Each player holds five cards;three cards are laid out as marketand then all „Royal Aid“ cardsare shuffled into the rest of thedeck for a draw pile. When thelast card of this draw pile is takenthe game ends instantly andyou win with most victory pointsfrom buildings and military unitscontributed to the royal army.In turn you have one action; possibleactions are: collect resources,draw a card, take a card fromthe market, recruit, upgradeunits, move military units, attackor play an action card. For eachaction necessary costs must bepaid in order to implement theeffect of the card. At the start youhave only room for two civilianand two military units, so youmust upgrade peasants to farms,barracks or inns to make roomfor another peasant. You cannotpass a turn and cannot do an actionwithout effect. Sometimesending the game may be theonly option open to you. A funnysolution is provided for ties at theend of the game; the winner ofsuch a tie is the player involvedin the tie who sits nearer to theplayer who ended the game.And this is the flavor, too, of thegame, it is simple, but with somedepth, quite an amount of tactic,funny drawings and graphics, asmall „big“ game. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-3Designer: B. + J. FryxeliusArtist: I. + B. + D. FryxeliusPrice: ca. 5 EuroPublisher: Fryxgames 2012www.fryxgames.seEVALUATIONCard gameWith friendsVersion: enRules: enIn-game text: noComments:Can be expanded with onedeck for each additional 2players * Good card design* Easy to understand *Simple rules with sometactical depthCompares to:Catan Card game and othersOther editions:Currently noneAGE:10+TIME:20+Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are14 ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013www.gamesjournal.atexplained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 32 and 33

BURG KLETTERMAX / CAMP ROSKILDE tPLAYED FOR YOUBURG KLETTERMAXSTACK AND SNIP KNIGHTSThe King has aggravated hisknights, he is much too greedyand wants to keep all the lovelytreasures for himself; so theknights have banded togetherand want to get their treasuresback. The help each other toclimb the castle walls and whenthey reach the crown of the wallthey jump into the castle.The castle is set up using the bottomof the box and inner wallsand treasure tiles are shuffled.You place three treasure tilesface down into each chamberof the castle and turn up thetop one of each stack. Now youchoose a tower stacking tile anda treasure chamber he wants toplunder. You put your stackingtile next to the outer wall of thischamber.Then you roll - for each shieldyou take a knight of this colorand stack him on your own tile;if such a knight is already stackedon your tile you must give theknight to the next player in turnwho then can stack him or musthand him on again. When youroll a jester that means you canonly stack a knight of the otherdie’s color. When you roll twojesters you can choose a knightand stack him. When you havestacked five different knights youmay snip the top knight into thecastle and take the top treasurecard from the chamber wherethe knight ends up. The remainingknights are put back in stockand you relocate your stackingtile. When you have collectedfive treasure tiles the game endsand all count the treasures ontheir tiles; you win with mosttreasures!What a lovely idea for a game!Stacking and snipping worksvery well, with some practice youcan hit exactly the tile of yourchoice! Good training for motorskills and lots of fun! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4Designer: Gunter BaarsArtist: Stephan PrickenPrice: ca. 17 EuroPublisher: Haba 2012www.haba.deEVALUATIONDexterity gameFor childrenVersion: multiRules: de en es fr it nlIn-game text: noComments:Nice combination ofmechanisms * Very attractivecomponents * Simplebasic rulesCompares to:Other snipping and stacking gamesOther editions:Currently noneAGE:4+TIME:20+CAMP ROSKILDEFUN AT THE FESTIVALRoskilde Festival is Europe’s, ifnot the World’s, biggest musicfestival, an open-air event lastingfor one week; visitors set uptheir tents and can enjoy manifoldoffers from swimming inthe lake to going to the cinema,and of course concerts, concerts,concerts.The game features the topic ofsetting up camp; players aremeant to set up their tents andto lure as many cool and crazyvisitors from the festival and createthe utmost hip atmosphere,represented by colors - green forHippies, black for Metal, red forCrazy and blue for Sophisticated.There are 60 cards representingvisitors and camp equipment;each player is given his ownboard, his camp, and the cardsare stacked face down and thenthree are laid out open-faced. Atthe start of your turn you turn upcards, if necessary, to that fourcards are on display; then youchoose one of those four cardsand put them either into yourown camp or that of anotherplayer and implement the effectsof the cards. Cards that you placemust correspond with their symbolsat the edges to symbols onadjacent card. When no usablecard is on display all four are discardedand replaced from thestack and you pass your turn. Itis always the player who places acard who decides how an effectis implemented, even if he placesthe card into another camp!When, after implementation ofall effects, there are nine cardsin a camp or when the draw pileis empty, the game ends andyou win either with nine differentcards in your camp or mostpoints.A funny game, a nice game for inbetween,not only for fans of thefestival; the card effects are niceand the topic a relatively unusualone. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-6Designer: M. G. Petersen + TeamArtist: Simon Bukhave + TeamPrice: ca. 30 EuroPublisher: Roskilde Festival 2012www.roskilde-festival.comEVALUATIONPlacement gameWith friendsVersion: enRules: dk enIn-game text: yesComments:Nice, unusual topic * Wittydrawings * Simple basicrules * Additional rules/effectsdirectly on the cardsCompares to:All placement games creating areasand scoring themOther editions:Currently noneAGE:12+TIME:30+WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website. ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 201315

PLAYED FOR YOUu CARSON CITY GOLD & GUNS / CROOKSCARSON CITY GOLD & GUNSGOVERNOR, SINGER AND BANDITSCarson City was published in2009 under the then joint labelof QWG by Quined/WhiteGoblin Games. Topic of CarsonCity was the development of atown in the Wild West. Duringfour rounds you build the townand players choose one of sevenCharacters, Sherriff, Banker or Officers.Those characters offer distinctadvantages. You place yourcowboys on action areas on theboard. You can acquire buildingsites, build special buildings likehotels, churches and drug storesor even roads. When more playersassemble on one action areaa shootout occurs, implementedwith dice or duel cards in CarsonCity. During the game you earnmoney for building and scorepoints. At the back-side of theboard you could play the VersionCarson River.In the Gold & Guns expansion,which can only be used with thecore game, new buildings areintroduced to Carson City - Station,City Hall, Smithy, GeneralStore and School. New characters,among them Indian, alreadypublished previously as a promotionalitem, allow additionalactions. The fast development ofthe town and her reputation ofcourse attract Outlaws, so thereare also three tiles and also playingpieces for outlaws. As in thebasic game the character cardshave two sides with differenteffects according to the player’schoice.Gold & Guns doesn’t greatlychange the core game, thegrandiose flair of the core gameremains intact when using thisexpansion; it offers a lot of interactionsand many differentstrategies to win; a piece of luckis also necessary! If you have acquiredCarson City in 2009, youshould not miss out on CarsonCity Gold & Guns. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-5Designer: Xavier GeorgeArtist: Alexander RochePrice: ca. 20 EuroPublisher: Quined Games 2012www.mike-spiele.deEVALUATIONPlacement/development gameWith friendsVersion: multiRules: de en fr nlIn-game text: noComments:Expansion for Carson City *Needs Carson City to play* No rule changes, only additionalcomponents * Theextraordinary game-playremains unchangedCompares to:Carson City and games with a citybuilding topicOther editions:Currently noneAGE:13+TIME:90+CROOKSGANGSTER, HANGOUTS AND BOOTYAnd yet again we go for a tripinto the outlaw genre and aremaster criminals on the searchfor small crooks which we cansend out to steal and burgle.You lay out target cards in a row,with increasing values, and themaster criminals of players in acolumn so that the edges of agrid are formed.Then you place face-downcrooks next to the hangouts accordingto the rules. In each turnyou can recruit and steal or passfor the rest of the game. To recruityou choose a hangout, pay1 $ per card next to the hangoutand choose one of the cards.Then you place the card you justdid take open-faced below a target,into the row with your ownmaster criminal, there is only onecard allowed with each target foreach master criminal. If you wantto place the crook face-down,you pay another dollar.Some crooks offer special effects;when crooks are placed openly,those effects are triggered; theybring you money, you can swapcards or remove cards or look atface-down crooks at targets, etc.When all have passed you revealall face-down crooks and eachtarget card goes to the crook /master criminal with the highestvalue; in case of a tie the targetscore is split, rounded down.The value of a target card can bemodified by crook cards. If youaccrue the highest total of pointsfrom targets and majorities ofcrooks of a gang color, you win.Crooks is a nice game with littleavailable information in whichyou must allocate your 18$ carefully;the later you look at a stackthe cheaper it is. And then youwant to place crooks face-down?Where is room in the grid? Andwhere is some valuable loot left?Good for a filler game. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4Designer: Neil CrowleyArtist: Dennis LohhausenPrice: ca. 10 EuroPublisher: White Goblin Games 12www.whitegoblingames.comEVALUATIONCard placement gameFor familiesVersion: multiRules: de en fr it nlIn-game text: noComments:Standard topic * Gooddesign, good rules * Littleinformation available dueto hidden cards in hangoutsand the target grid *Some tactic possibleCompares to:Placement games with value comparisonat positionsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:10+TIME:20+Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are16 ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 32 and 33www.gamesjournal.at

DER HEIDELBÄR / EINFACH GENIAL tPLAYED FOR YOUDER HEIDELBÄRWALD UND WIESEN EDITIONThe bear has gone to hide inwoods and meadows and appearsin the guise of indigenousanimals of those habitats, havinggiven his own spectacular performancein Der Heidelbär. Butthe bear had fun and now he islooking in woods and meadowsfor kindred spirits in Deer, Boarand Cows, which are hiding indefinitions and descriptions likehe did and which now must describeas neatly and accuratelyas we can. If you as active playermust try as best as you can todescribe the term in a way thatany of the other players guessesit correctly.Cards with four terms each arestacked face-down, each playertakes three cards in hand. Theactive player is told „upper“ or„lower“ and chooses a term accordinglyfrom the upper orlower part of the card and putsthe card face-down on the table.Then he describes the term witha sentence of 6 words, the firsttwo of which must be “This Deer”or “This Cow” or “This Boar”. Loanwords are allowed, but you cannotuse translations or identicalword roots. When the term isguessed you keep the card andwin with most cards at the end.So now you can explain for DEERlife and try to communicateBOARding Pass or COWardice!And if you happen to mention acompany making tractors, that isfine, too, and you can also havesomeone using a flat piece ofwood in the snow or turn up thecowl of his sweater or use a zeppelin.The whole thing is 100%language-dependent and hilariouslyfunny, you can even fill theblank cards with words of youown. The greatest challenge isusing only four words to explainthings, and unfortunately COWboywould be forbidden! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:3-6Designer: Frank StarkArtist: Heiko Eller + TeamPrice: ca. 9 EuroPublisher: Heidelberger 2013www.heidelbaer.deEVALUATIONCommunication gameFor familiesVersion: deRules: deIn-game text: yesComments:Clever topic * Plays fast *Well-known mechanismnicely implemented * Nicetravel gameCompares to:Der Heidelbär, Der Heidelbär WildeWasser and other games on definitionsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:10+TIME:15+EINFACH GENIALDAS WÜRFELSPIELIngenious The Game has beensimple ingenious, so why not usethe mechanics again, this timefor a game of dice, with exactlythe right size to be taken along.The game comprises nine colordice, featuring six different colors,and a pad of scoring sheets;each player is given one sheetand, depending on the numberof players, you get 4 dice, 3 diceor 2 dice in a four-player game.At the start of the game all playerswith the exception of thestarting player roll their dice andleave them on the table as theyfall. Now the starting player rollshis dice and scores for each correlationbetween one of his diceand the dice of other players. Ifhe does not like the result of theroll he can roll again a secondtime and even a third time. Whenre-rolling, you must always rerollall dice, you cannot set asidedice. After the third roll you mustscore this roll. Each correlationbetween one of your dice and adie of another player is markedon the scoring sheet. Then theplayer leaves his dice as they areand the next one rolls and scoresfor each correlation with all otherdice. Correlations between yourown dice are NOT scored!When you roll two or more identicalsymbols you can use this fora joker; for two identical symbolsyou can mark any one symbol,for 3 identical dice you can marktwo symbols of your choice andin case of four identical symbols(only possible in a game for twoplayers) even three symbols. Tomark symbols in section 2 and 3of the sheet you you must havemarked at least one box in eachcolor in the previous section.When you are first to completelymark all rows you win.So fast, so simple, so ingenious!INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4Designer: Reiner KniziaArtist: M. Kienle, Fine TuningPrice: ca. 10 EuroPublisher: Kosmos 2012www.kosmos.deEVALUATIONDice gameFor familiesVersion: deRules: deIn-game text: noComments:Dice game based on theboard game * Only usesscoring based on color correlations* Very very simplerules * Some tactic due torule for re-rollingCompares to:All dice game versions of boardgames, in itself first game of its kindOther editions:Currently noneAGE:8+TIME:30+WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website.ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 17

PLAYED FOR YOUu FIVE CROWNS / FLASH POINT FIRE RESCUEFIVE CROWNS10 AS A JOKERCAN LOSE YOU 20 POINTSIn Five Crowns you should befirst to lay out sets of cards orrows of cards because otherwiseyou score negative pointsfor cards remaining in yourhand. You start the first roundwith three cards, in each nextround one more card is dealt sothat you get 13 cards in the lastround. One card from the drawpile is turned up and begins thediscard pile.In your turn you must alwaysdraw the top card from one ofthose two piles and discard acard. You try to combine yourcards into sets of cards and rowsof card. When you want to goout, you must all cards but onecombine correctly and discardthe last remaining card. Oneset is made up of at least threecards of the same value and arow is made up from a minimumof three cards of one color andof subsequent values. Missingcards can be replaced with jokers;there are the usual jokers, ofwhich there are six in the deck,and on the other hand there arealso the additional jokers of theround. Jokers of the round arethe cards equaling the numberof cards dealt; so the “Fours”in round two or the kings inthe last round. When a playerhas laid out his hand all othershave one more complete turn,but can now also lay out partof their hand in valid combinations.Cards that remain in yourhand are negative points: 3-10score their actual value, Jacks11 points, Queens 12 and Kings13 points, a Joker costs you 50points and an additional joker20 points. If you have the lowestscore after 11 rounds, you win.Five Crowns is a nice version ofRommé, the additional jokersneed some getting used to, butare very efficient! Fun with cardsfor the whole family! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-7AGE:8+Designer: Marsha J. FalcoArtist: not statedPrice: ca. 11 EuroPublisher: Amigo Spiele 2013www.amigo-spiele.deEVALUATIONCard gameFor familiesVersion: deRules: de enIn-game text: noComments:Interesting version ofRommé * Attractive carddesign * Additional jokersneed getting used to *Simple basic mechanisms *Includes solo versionCompares to:Rommé, maybe even Phase 10Other editions:Set Enterprises, USATIME:45+FLASH POINT FIRE RESCUE2nd STORYFire alarm! All players cooperatein a team in order to save victimsfrom a burning building. Thebuilding is set out, each playermust use four action points inhis turn for movement, fightingfire, tearing down walls etc. andmust roll dice for the spreadingof fire - should smoke meetsmoke it turns into fire - andplace information markers accordingly.When fire reaches aspot already on fire, an explosionresults. When the buildingcrashes and seven victims havebeen saved, all players have wontogether. The game offers twoversions for a family game andfor experienced players with arandom set-up, vehicles and actionsfor vehicles, etc.The expansion 2nd Story nowcomprises two buildings featuringtwo floors each, there isa separate board for each floor;you can select to play eitherthe manor or the hotel. Accessto the upper floor of the buildingis gained via staircase insidethe building or via ladders fromoutside.Staircase spots are adjacent tofive other spots, firefighters andfire move on them and otherwisestaircase spots are treatedlike other spots. Ladders arepicked up for zero action points,are carried folded up where theyshould be used and must be setup before they can be used.Firefighters on such a ladder canact as usual, objects cannot bedeposited on the upper part ofa ladder. Windows are new, too,they give access to the buildingwithout damaging the structureand can be opened and closedlike doors.2nd Story is an interesting expansionwith exciting detailsand fascinating new possibilitieswhich make the cooperativegame even more challengingand tougher to master. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-6Designer: Lutz PietschkerArtist: L. Francisco, G. PatsourasPrice: ca. 30 EuroPublisher: Indie Board & Cards 12www.hds-fantasy.comEVALUATIONCooperative dice gameWith friendsVersion: enRules: enIn-game text: noComments:First expansion forFlash Point Fire Rescue* Introduces interestingnew elements * Fantasticcooperative game * Highreplay valueCompares to:Feurio, PandemieOther editions:Currently noneAGE:10+TIME:45+Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are18 ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 32 and 33www.gamesjournal.at

FUNKENSCHLAG / GESPENSTERTURM tPLAYED FOR YOUFUNKENSCHLAGNORDEUROPA / UK UND IRLANDEach player represents a corporationproducing electricity inpower stations and poweringcities via an electricity network.During the game you auction forpower stations and buy resourcesfor electricity production whileexpanding the network to powerup more cities. A round has5 phases: Determine sequenceof play, buy power stations, buyresources, building and bureaucracy,which comprises earningmoney, new power stations andnew resources for the market. if aplayer in phase 4 has connected aminimum of 20 cities, the playerwith the most connected citieswins.For the expansion Northern Europe/ United Kingdom & NorthernIreland the basic rules ofFunkenschlag apply with the listedchanges; resources are availableaccording to special tables.Nordeuropa: As the states inNorthern Europe use very differentsources of energy the powerstations change with the areayou use; Atomic power stationscan only be acquired when youhave a city in Sweden, Finlandor in the Baltic States. When youplay with Southern Sweden youcan only by Atomic Power Station10 when you have a minimum ofone city in Sweden, Finland or theBaltic States.UK & Nordirland: You can utilizetwo separate networks, there isno direct connection betweenIreland and Great Britain; Atomicpower stations are only possiblewith cities in Scotland, EnglandWales or Northern Ireland. InStage Two there is a differentnumber of cities, it starts withconnecting the 7th city or whenall cities have been connected forthe first time.As for all expansions for Funkenschlagfor this one ,too, the mottois: Want to have it, want to playit! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-6AGE:12+Designer: Friedemann FrieseArtist: Maura KaluskyPrice: ca. 10 EuroPublisher: 2F-Spiele 2012www.2f-spiele.deEVALUATIONDevelopment gameWith friendsVersion: deRules: de en es fi nlIn-game text: noComments:Can only be used withthe core game * Shrinkwrappedboard with rulessheet * Special resourcestablesTIME:90+Compares to:Funkenschlag and all other expansionsOther editions:Lautapelit, Finland, Rio Grande USA,Edge Entertainment, Spain, 999Games, HollandGESPENSTERTURMSPOOKY CHASE TILL MIDNIGHTSchloss Schauerstein is a spookycastle in which occasional visitorsmaybe hear funny noisesor see something wobble. Allthe same, the castle is haunted,each evening at 10 p.m. the littleghost children start to haunt thecastle until midnight, but then itis off to bed for them, becauseat midnight adult haunting timebegins.It is the job of the players to findthe haunting ghost childrenand get them into bed in time;for this task you need a goodmemory and a bit of cooperation.When all ghost childrenare in bed before the clock in thetower strikes 12, all players havewon together.In your turn you turn up a tileand leave it open-faced. The nextplayer does the same. When thisresults in two different colors, thebig hand of the tower clock ismoved forward for five minutes,and the tiles are turned backover. When both players haveturned up ghosts of the samecolor the next one, too, can try tofind the third ghost of this color.When he does not succeed thismeans again that the hand of theclock is moved forward by fiveminutes and all three ghosts areturned over.But should the third player succeedto find the third ghost thenall children of one ghost familyhave been found and are putto bed in the room of the correspondingcolor in the castle.And off you go, the next playerbegins a new chase by turningover a tile. Players may giveadvice on where some childrencould be hiding so that you canfill all rooms together before thehands of the clock point to 12.Very well done! This is an enchantingcooperative memo versionthat is simply fun - and trainsclock positions on the go! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-6Designer: Heinz MeisterArtist: Doris MatthäusPrice: ca. 17 EuroPublisher: Amigo-Spiele 2013www.amigo-spiele.deEVALUATIONMemo gameFor childrenVersion: deRules: deIn-game text: noComments:Part of the Ö-koo series ofgames * Starting time canbe varied * Very nice memovariant * Trains knowledgeof clock positionCompares to:All memo gamesOther editions:Currently noneAGE:5+TIME:20+WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website.ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 19

PLAYED FOR YOUu GIFTZWERGE / GUILDHALLGIFTZWERGEBAD WEEDS GROW TALL!Lawn mowing as the topic of agame is rather rare, but in thisgame we do it; that is, we mustturn over all dark green tiles inour garden that show a weedsymbol by passing over themwith our lawn mower. If you arefirst to manage this, you will winthe game; but beware, there aresymbol tiles hiding in the grasswhich either make you do workin the garden or represent events,from broken garden gnomes torain showers. You must react tothose events and can use themon fellow players, too!Each player chooses his favoriteweed and takes all those tiles,a garden, a lawn mower and astarting tile. Then a joint compostheap is set up with White Chamomile,poison and blockade tiles.One player is the gardener andchooses or designs a lawn mowertrack, all other shuffle their tilesand set them on their gardenboard accordingly.A turn comprises rolling the dieand moving your lawn mowerand then you turn over tilesand do actions; the lawn mowermoves over grass and startingtile and only orthogonally, youcannot jump over mole hills, butyou can defeat them, and a turncannot end on poisoned lawn.Dark green lawn tiles with weedare turned over, should symbolsappear they are implementedand remain visible, you can enterthose tiles again later and re-usethe symbols.This is a very unusual and verywell made game, beginning withthe topic and continuing with amixture of simply roll & move andthe rather tactical use of actionsymbols; three of those symbolsonly relate to a player and hisown garden, the other five canbe used on a neighbors gardentoo, mole, poison, or so … INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-6Designer: Jürgen Hermann OttArtist: not statedPrice: ca. 24 EuroPublisher: jhox-Spiele 2012www.jhox-spiele.deEVALUATIONRoll & move with eventsFor familiesVersion: multiRules: de enIn-game text: noComments:Unusual and very attractivetopic * Can be playedsimple or tactical, accordingto experience * Prettycomponents * Well made,extensive rules with many examplesCompares to:Basically all movement games witheventsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:6+TIME:30+GUILDHALLFIVE PEASANTS FOR A VP CARDYou have been a serf in a one-pigtown for long enough, you haveenough of it! You go and openup your own guild, hope for yourprofessional members and a boutof economic stability. But, unfortunately,others had the sameidea! You are tasked with collectingcomplete sets of professions,using those sets to buy victorypoints and to win with 20 victorypoints.The victory point cards are shuffledand five of them are laidout in a row. Now each playeris dealt 9 out of 120 professioncards. Then in turn each playercan discard as many cards as hewants and draw new ones up tonine cards, and then you lay outthree cards visibly, to form yourGuild Hall.You have two actions and can foreach action play a card into youraction area and implement it ordiscard any number of cards anddraw the same number of newones or buy a victory point cardfrom the display. You can onlyplay a card when the identicalcard is not yet in your Guild Halland you can only play one cardfrom a certain profession perround.At the end of a turn you place thecards you played into your GuildHall. You need not implement alleffects of a card you played. Whenyou have all five colors for a professionin your Guild House youcan stack them face-down, thisstack is out of play and can onlybe used to buy victory points. Youcan have only up to three suchstacks in your Guild Hall.This is a very attractive set collectinggame, in which cards getstronger the more you have of akind and in which you can interferemassively with collections ofother players; a very nice mixtureof luck in drawing cards and tacticand planning the use of thosecards. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4Designer: Hope S. HwangArtist: Todd Rowland + TeamPrice: ca. 17 EuroPublisher: Alderac Entertainment 12www.alderac.comEVALUATIONSet collecting gameWith friendsVersion: multiRules: de enIn-game text: noComments:Good rules quickly explained* Lots of interaction* Good mixture of luck andtacticCompares to:Set collecting games with furtheruse of setsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:12+TIME:30+Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are20 ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 32 and 33www.gamesjournal.at

JAGDREVIER / KAKERLAKENPOKER ROYAL tPLAYED FOR YOUJAGDREVIERKLUFTINGERS SECOND CASEHis second case takes KommissarKluftinger into the now intothe hunting grounds at the edgeof town!The investigator players winwhen they have identified theculprit after 10 rounds and correctlyname five characteristics.The culprit wins when he is notidentified in time!The culprit player chooses hischaracteristics - gender, size, haircolor, motive and weapon - andmarks them on his culprit profile,the corresponding five cluecards are taken out of play andset aside without any investigatorlooking at them.There are three kinds of cluecards: Holzweg does not provideinformation, Merkmal tells youwhat characteristic cannot beone of the culprit and the profileshows five characteristics whichcould be correct depending onthe culprit.The game lasts 10 rounds, eachof those rounds is identical: Atthe start of the round the culpritleaves clue cards at locations accordingto symbols rolled. Theninvestigators move to those locationsover red connections; eachstep is paid for with an advanceof 1 step on the time track; eachinvestigator has a maximum of20 steps = days. Then you checkthe card at the location and notethe information. The the culpritcollects the clues again and asksif someone wants to solve. Eachinvestigator has one chance; ifhe is correct he wins the gameinstantly, if not, he is out of thegame and the others go on playing.The rules also list a versionusing action cards.This is a crime game just out ofthe handbook for detectivesand games on detection - nicelymixed clues. Good components,well-transferred flair and enoughchange to offer many differentcases. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-5Deduction gameFor familiesVersion: deRules: deIn-game text: neinComments:Attractive components *Easily understood rules *Standard mechanism nicelyvariedCompares to:Cluedo and other detective gameswith elimination proceduresOther editions:Currently noneAGE:8+EVALUATIONTIME:30+Designer: S. + W. DirscherlArtist: Victor BodenPrice: ca. 30 EuroPublisher: Huch! & friends 2012www.huchandfriends.deKAKERLAKENPOKER ROYALNOW THERE ARE CROWNED INSECTS, TOO!This is a version of Kakerlakenpoker,some of the cards arenow marked with a crown: Sevencards are laid out as a face-downpenalty stack, the top card isturned up. All other cards areevenly distributed to all players.In your turn you choose one cardfrom your and and put it facedownin front of another playerand name the insect that is picturedon the card or say „royal“ ifit is an insect with a crown. Youmay lie!If you are presented with a cardand can decide to take it or handit on. If you want to take it yousay “right” or “wrong” therebystating your belief or disbelief inthe announcement of the previousplayer, before picking up thecard. When your statement wascorrect, that is, the card is reallyshowing the insect named oryou doubted correctly, the firstplayer takes back the card, otherwiseyou keep it. If you want topass on the card you can secretlylook at it and must then confirmthe statement of the first playeror name another insect or say“royal”. When the card is passedon until it reaches the last player,he must take it.If you have to take a royal cardyou must also take the open cardfrom the penalty stack. There aretwo cards with special effects -one is always correct unless sosay royal”, the other is alwayswrong - for which there are specialrules when accepting them.When you have four identicalcards or must go out and haveno card left, you lose and all otherswin together.Even when featuring crownedcockroaches and other creepycrawliesthis is an attractive bluffgame, quickly played, a nice fillerand nice for beginners. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-6Designer: Jacques ZeimetArtist: Rolf VogtPrice: ca. 7 EuroPublisher: Drei Magier 2012www.dreimagier.deEVALUATIONBluff game with cardsFor familiesVersion: multiRules: de en fr it nlIn-game text: noComments:Nice variant * Some rulesdifferences as regards toKakerlakenpoker * Playsfast * Cute drawingsCompares to:Kakerlakenpoker and other gameswith believing/doubting statementsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:8+TIME:25+WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website.ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 21

PLAYED FOR YOUu KAROLINCHEN / KONSENSUSKAROLINCHENEAT QUICKLY AND GROW FAST!For the first time we made theacquaintance of the cute littlecolorful worms with their hugeeyes in the award-winning game„Da ist der Wurm drin“ ; their nextappearance was made in Streifentoni,and now there is Karolinchen:Streifentoni tells about sweetfruits in a garden, Karolinchenand her friends want to samplethem.Each player chooses a worm andtake worm head and worm tailfrom his seven cards and laysthem out. The worm head isplaced laurel wreath down andthe card with the tail is turnedover to the fruit side and placednext to the worm head. The correspondingworm marker is puton the worm head.One player rolls all dice and allplayers check - in clockwise direction,the youngest one begins- if there are dice fitting the colorof one’s current fruit on the card.If yes, you take those dice andplace them on the fruit spots onyour worm; if not you can rerollall remaining dice and may thentake corresponding dice. IF therestill are no useable dice your turnis over. When all spots on a cardare filled with dice you add a cardand may, if there are dice for thiscard, take those, too. When alldice are distributed, you put themarker forward to the dice infront and then hand back all dice.When then there are cards atthe back of the marker, you turnthem over to show a part of theworm body and thus the wormgrows. If you are first to havecompleted your worm, you win.Cute, simple, and yet with a minimumamount of tactic despitethe dice, because you yourselfcan choose the next fruit color ofthe card you add to your worm,a nice new member of the wormfamily. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-6Designer: Carmen KleinertArtist: Heidemarie RüttingerPrice: ca. 10 EuroPublisher: Zoch 2012www.zoch-verlag.comEVALUATIONPlacement/dice gameFor childrenVersion: multiRules: de en fr itIn-game text: noComments:Very pretty design * Topicand design from „Da istder Wurm drin“ nicelycontinued * Simple rules* A minimal bit of tactic ispossibleCompares to:Streifentoni and other games in the„Da ist der Wurm drin“ familyOther editions:Currently noneAGE:6+TIME:20+KONSENSUSTWO MINDS - ONE THOUGHT!Based on the motto „ two mindsof one thought“ you try to correctlyguess ideas, conceptsand thoughts of other playersin order to achieve the samedefinitions and thus correlations.In Konsensus the topic isnot knowledge but the abilityto enter into the minds of othersbest - the symbols on the boardare meant to direct thoughts incertain directions and thus influencethe outcome.Each of the sixteen spots on theround track shows either an associationor action symbol; thegame comprises 200 cards featuring400 terms for which youmust find associated terms. Thetrack must contain the startingpart, otherwise you can assembleit to your liking.In a round you first roll the diceand the marker is moved by thestarting player in a direction ofhis choice; when the markerreaches an action spot an actionis implemented. When themarker reaches an associationspot you draw a card and readit out; all now note terms, readthem to all others and score.You score for the number of correlationsthat you managed toachieve with your term. Playersshould try to include the symbolson the association spots intotheir answers in order to achievebetter correlations - when thecard asks for an island and themarker is on green, you mightmake a lot of points when writingdown Ireland.Basically the mechanisms in thegame are standard, but with theuse of action spot for swappingparts of the board and bonus duelsor use of the association spotsthe rules result in an individual,very attractive game in whichyou should not try to achieveoriginality but to be consistentwith others. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:3-6Designer: GameInventorsArtist: Huch! & friendsPrice: ca. 30 EuroPublisher: Huch! & friends 2012www.huchandfriends.deEVALUATIONAssociation gameWith friendsVersion: deRules: deIn-game text: yesComments:Nicely varied standardmechanisms * Associationspots for assistance are anice detail * Remember,not individuality is the aim,but correlations!Compares to:All communication and associationgames on correlationsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:12+TIME:30+Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are22 ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 32 and 33www.gamesjournal.at

LADY ALICE / LIKE DICE tPLAYED FOR YOULADY ALICEDETECTIVE TRAINING WITH SHERLOCKSherlock Holmes teaches thenicer details of detective workto the Baker Street Kids and usesthe case of “Henry Morton Stanleyand a ship called Lady Alice“as an example. You as one of theBaker Street Kids must find outwho did abduct Stanley whereand when with the help of whichinstruments.The following sources of informationare available to the BakerStreet Kids:Sherlock’s desk, that is, the gameboard; a notebook listing theclues in groups - suspects, locations,times and objects - and32 clue cards, sorted into groupsand stacked face down. Four setsof Deduction counters, Businesscards and Verdict folders completethe equipment.Each player is given one secretclue. In your turn you first voicea suspicion: You choose a combinationof suspect-locationtime-objectfrom the notebook.Whoever holds one of the namedclues/pieces of evidence mustannounce this by showing thesmiling portrait of Sherlock inthe Verdict Folder. Then you cancover up false leads on the boardby using Sherlock’s business cardsand then in turn mark conclusionswith deduction counters on clues,pass or attempt an accusation.When the accusation is wrong,you keep taking part in verdictsand your counters remain inplace, but you can no longer sharesuspicions or announce deductions.When the accusation is correct,you score for chips on clues/evidence and bonuses for earlysolutions and correct accusation-Here, too, we are getting glimpsesof Cluedo, but probably more dueto basic mechanisms necessaryfor a game of detection that arenicely and elegantly implementedhere, with enough variationprovided for lots of interestinggames. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:3-5Designer: Ludovic GaillardArtist: Jean-Marie MinguezPrice: ca. 33 EuroPublisher: Hurrican 2012www.hurricangames.comEVALUATIONDetection gameFor childrenVersion: multiRules: de en es fr gr it nlIn-game text: noComments:Elegant components *Somehow „British“ flairis achieved * Containshistorical information *Nicely varied standardmechanismsCompares to:Cluedo and other detective gamesOther editions:Currently noneAGE:8+TIME:30+LIKE DICETHE HIGHEST NUMBER ON A RED DIE?Such a lot of colored dice andthey are multiplying, they keeparriving and arriving, but don’tlet yourself be distracted by thevarious color, but keep concentratingon the main features,which might be „How many pipsare there on blue dice“ or „howmany dice show five pips?“ Youneed to answer quickly and correctlyin order to score.Each player is given a result card.30 dice cards are shuffled andstacked face down for a drawpile. Each player draws a cardfor his personal display and thenyou turn up three cards from thestack to form a general display.Then players together decide ona level of difficulty and sort outthe corresponding cards fromthe 30 task cards: Beginners useonly cards showing colored dice;advanced players add five cardsshowing white dice to thoseshowing colored dice and experiencedplayers use all 30 cards.One player reveals the first taskcard and all players try simultaneouslyto solve the task bycounting the necessary pips inthe general display and theirown personal display. When youarrive at a result you name it anduse your fingers to mark the correspondingdigits on the resultcard. When all have achieved aresult all results are checked inthe order in which they were announced.When the first correctresult is found the other resultsare not checked and the correctplayer receives one card for apoint from the general displayand puts it into his personal one.This card is from now on also takeninto account for results.This is a fast educational gameproviding gun, a challenge notonly for new pupils and a goodtraining for color discerning andperception of quantities. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-6Designer: Jörg DombergerArtist: Dennis LohausenPrice: ca. 7 EuroPublisher: Adlung Spiele 2012www.adlung-spiele.deEVALUATIONDice game with cardsFor familiesVersion: multiRules: de en es fr itIn-game text: noComments:Handy to take along *Good training four countingand perception ofamounts * Challenging dueto pressure for time as onlythe first correct result scoresCompares to:All educational games on numbersand perception of quantitiesOther editions:Currently noneAGE:6/8+TIME:15+WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website.ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 23

PLAYED FOR YOUu LUMACORSA / MAFIADOLLARLUMACORSASNAILS IN THE ARENASnails from all over the place oreven the galaxy meet and raceeach other and bets are made onthe winners of the race.For the races you use a total of100 snail cards: Each of this cardsshows two halves like a dominocard, one one end a snail markedwith a number is depicted, onthe other end nothing at all ora snail shell with one of severaldifferent markings.The cards for the arena are laidout in order of their numbers.Then you run five races, eachof these races is made up fromsprints, that is,. Tricks. In each ofthose races players draw cardsfrom the stack, starting withthree cards for the first race andadding one card per race to sevencards for the fifth race.When the cards are drawn eachplayer bets how many springs hewell win, from 0 to the numberof cards in hand, and places hissnail on the corresponding arenaspot. Then in turn you play onecard, snail up, and ignore theother half; then you can play asecond card, now shell side up.Then you modify - when appropriate- the value of the snailby the shell card: +1, -1, x2, anyvalue from 1-0, the snails winsor loses automatically or swapcards. If you then have the highestvalue you win the sprint andtake all snail cards, that is, thecards played first. If you playeda second card this is now turnedsnail up for your new snail cardand you can again play a cardfor a shell card. When all springshave been played you score forfilled bets.Lumacorsa is a cute version ofWizard, family-friendly, at thesame time more predictableand more tactical due to theshell cards, nicely designed andquickly played. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-8Designer: Andrea NaniArtist: G. Favaro, S. de VenturPrice: ca. 23 EuroPublisher: Red Glove 2012www.redglove.itEVALUATIONTrick gameFor familiesVersion: multiRules: de en es fr it ptIn-game text: noComments:Wooden snails * Prettygraphics * You only scorefor exactly fulfilled announcementsCompares to:Wizard, Die sieben Siegel, and othergames with trick predictionsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:7+TIME:20+MAFIADOLLARGANGSTER, STORAGE AND HIDEOUTProhibition and Mafia - an inexhaustiblesource for game topicsand game mechanics; herein MafiaDollar we are headingMafia Clans and try to amassmoney; for this we employ smallgangsters which we equipmentand send out to acquire loot; ofcourse you can also rob otherclans or get rid of opposinggangsters and sometimes youmust also cope with police.After an exact preparation phase,giving you a warehouse, eachplayer has one move in turn, inwhich he draws a card, plays acard and implements gangsteractions. When you draw a lootcard from the pile you place it inthe middle of the table and drawanother card. Then you play acard - ware house, gangster,blockade or equipment - intothe corresponding position ofthe display or - if you decide notto do this - discard a card.Then you can implement onegangster action for each warehouseyou hold - move a gangsterfrom the hideout into thestreets or make a gangster do ajob in the streets, which might beto take a loot card, attack othergangsters or do a burglary, bothdemand a success test comprisingthe dice value of a card + attackbonus or burglary bonus.When the card “End of prohibition”appears you with with thehighest total from loot cards minusgangsters on display, warehousesand policemen.MafiaDollar offers a felicitousimplementation of a standardtopic, with continuing dilemma:Too many gangsters a bad, tohoard policemen is bad, too, butto play is not really good either,because they cost you loot cardsand you cannot do a gangsteraction; and then you need luckof the draw - and hopefully youwill succeed in the burglary skilltest! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-6Designer: Heiko WeyenArtist: Michael BruexPrice: ca. 14 EuroPublisher: Kompass Spiele 2012www.mafiadollar.comEVALUATIONCard gameWith friendsVersion: multiRules: de enIn-game text: noComments:Witty, cute illustrations* Topic very well implemented* Good mixture ofluck and tactic * Games canrun quite differently fromeach otherCompares to:Other card games with strengthcomparison and Mafia topicsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:12+TIME:60+Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are24 ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 32 and 33www.gamesjournal.at

MEMENTO / MINES OF THE SACRED DRAGON tPLAYED FOR YOUMEMENTO5 POINTS FOR ALL FOUR BLUE SHAPESThe aim of the game is simple -score most points in the differentscorings.But: Scoring requirements vary!The game comprises 64 playingcards featuring four differentgeometric symbols in four colors,8 Scoring cards and 8 Sortingcards for all shapes in eachcolor or each shape in all colors.The sorting cards are laid out,the scoring cards are shuffledface-down and then you placeone scoring card face up next toeach sorting card. 10 cards arestacked face down, the rest issplit into three equal stacks andset down open-faced. In yourturn you take a card from onestack or pass your turn, if youtake a face-down card you neednot show it. If you pass a turnyou can take a card again in thenext turn! Cards that you take arestacked face down, you cannotlook at your stack. When all playershave passed their turn or allcards have been taken the roundis scored. First each player sortshis stack by color and scores eachcolor according to the scoringcard next to the color’s sortingcard; then you re-sort the cardsby shape and score accordingly;the points are noted. After threesuch rounds you win with thehighest score.Deceptively simple and devilishlydifficult! Do I have 7u trianglesalready or do I need another oneto score 10 points? I think a havesix reds, so I should take anotherone, because an even numberwill lose me points - but thereare four colors and four shapes!A fabulous game for the wholefamily, you need to rememberwell and take cleverly. Simple,or is it not? And planning is possible,too, at least you can try to,un case the others don’t spotthat you aim for triangles! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-5Designer: Paolo MoriArtist: SenSitPrice: ca. 7 EuroPublisher: Kosmos 2013www.kosmos.deEVALUATIONCard gameFor familiesVersion: deRules: deIn-game text: noComments:Very simple rules * Memoryand concentrating are necessary* New requirementsfor each round * Lovelyfamily game, quickly accessibleCompares to:Memo games and games scoringcollected characteristicsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:10+TIME:30+MINES OF THE SACRED DRAGONLOTS OF POINTSFOR MULTIPLE EDGES TOUCHINGDespite the title that remindsone of fantasy topics, Mines ofthe Sacred Dragon is an abstractstrategic tile placement game.Still, there is a story - you explorethe Mystic Mountain andscore building and expandingof mines.Each player chooses a color andtakes 10 marker of this color, oneof them is placed on position „0“of the scoring track. All tiles areshuffled face down and stackedfor a draw pile; each player drawsfour tiles, one is placed to startthe display. Then in turn eachplayer adds one tile to the startingtile and then players taketurns in making a move. In yourmove you must play one, twoor three tiles, draw a tile up toa maximum of three and thendiscard a tile and draw two tiles.A newly placed tile must touchone or several tiles already inplace, whereby edges touchingeach other must have the samecolor; Tiles with gray edges arejoker tiles, gray can be addedeverywhere, next to any color.When you play more than onetile, you must place all tiles adjacently.On the last tile placed ina turn you can build a mine byplacing one or several markerson it and scoring the mine accordingly;or you can extend amine. To extend a mine the newtile must touch others at leaston three sides. When a player isleft with only one or no markers,the game ends at the end of theround and each player scoresall his mines again. IF you havemost points, you win.A pretty, well-made combinationof standard mechanisms, firstand foremost a game in whichyou must snatch every opportunityto place tile touching morethan one already in place, if youwant to score well! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:1-5Designer: Ta-Te WuArtist: Ta-Te Wu,. Haiyu ZhaoPrice: ca. 28 EuroPublisher: Sunrise Tornado Studios 12www.sunrisetornado.comEVALUATIONPlacement gameWith friendsVersion: multiRules: cn en + fr nlIn-game text: noComments:Standard basic mechanisms,nicely combined* Look closely and focuson an overview to snatchopportunities for multipleedge contactsCompares to:Carcassonne and other placementgames featuring correspondingedgesOther editions:Currently noneAGE:10+TIME:30+WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website.ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 25

PLAYED FOR YOUu NACHT DER MAGISCHEN SCHATTEN / RINGO FLAMINGONACHT DER MAGISCHEN SCHATTENWHAT MAGICAL BEING IS MISSING?The residents of the MagicalWood are celebrating in the Darkof the Night. And there is a gamewithin this celebration - if yourecognize the shadows and notewho is not dancing around thefire, you may advance your ownMagical Being.First you assemble the shadowbox - maybe with adult assistance.Each player chooses aMagical Being and places it at thestart. Then you choose - dependingon the number of players - 8to 10 figures for the basic gameand extract the correspondingcards from the pile. The activeplayer is Dancer, he choosesseven characters and placesthem into the slots around thefire, while all other players closetheir eyes or turn around. Thenall may open their eyes again,Dancer switches on the lamp andslowly turns the fire for one completeround until the mushroomsare back in starting position andswitches off the lamp again. Theother players must recognizecharacters from their shadowsand memorize them and so findout which of the characters aremissing. Then all choose charactersfrom the card of which theybelieve that they did not dance,or pass.If you did choose correctlyyou advance your Magical Being;Dancer moves his for eachwrongly named or not spottedcharacter. If you are first to moveyour Magical Being to the finishyou win. Several versions for afast game or a game using acedowncards of the characters andmemorizing those card positions,too, are listed.Once again a fantastic game fromHaba and by Kai Haferkamp witha fancy and inventive mechanism,a feast for all senses; you must observe,memorize, react fast - funand challenge at the same timeand a visual pleasure, too! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4Designer: Kai HaferkampArtist: Marc RobitzkyPrice: ca. 29 EuroPublisher: Haba 2012www.haba.deEVALUATIONShadow gameFor childrenVersion: multiRules: de en es fr it nlIn-game text: noComments:Exceedingly beautifulcomponents * Fantasticmechanism * Mechanismand topic go very welltogetherCompares to:Geisterschloss and others with recognitionof shadowsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:4+TIME:20+RINGO FLAMINGOFLIP THE RINGSPink flamingos stand in the bluewater of the lagoon and it couldbe so nice and beautiful - whereit not for the nasty green crocodiles,not at all peaceful, whothreaten flamingoes. But luckilyplayers can help with safetybelts!Flamingoes and crocodiles areplaced into the slits of the board,the board is put into the box andthe box is set on the table so thateach corner points at one player.Now each player is given a boatand twelve safety belts, elevenare put into the boat and the lastone is put into the slit at the bowof the boat; boats are placed ata distance of about 20-40 cmfrom the box corners. And nowthe fun can begin!All now play at the same time;you bend back the safety belt inthe slit at the boat’s bow and letgo - the belt/ring flies towardsthe lagoon at flamingoes andcrocodiles. You take up a secondring and flip it and do not pauseto check if you put a ring over ananimal or not. When all playershave flipped all their rings, allloose rings are removed and putback into the boats. Then youcollect all rings that you put overa flamingo and from those ringsyou put back one into the boatfor each of your rings around acrocodile.If you then hold most of the ringsyou are awarded a shell chip.Then the next round is playedand if you own most chips afterthree rounds you win!Pure action! Pure fun action!The catapults in the shape of aboat are an ingeniously simplemechanisms and not only childrenhave fun in flipping therings - uups, again I did hit acrocodile despite there being somany more flamingoes - comeon, let’s play again! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4Designer: Haim Shafir + TeamArtist: Eckhard FreytagPrice: ca. 25 EuroPublisher: Ravensburger 2013www.ravensburger.deEVALUATIONDexterity gameFor childrenVersion: multiRules: de en es fr it nlIn-game text: noComments:Cheerful action game *Nice topic * Ingenious constructionof the catapultsCompares to:Robby Robbe and othergames where you throw thingsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:5+TIME:15+Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are26 ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 32 and 33www.gamesjournal.at

SCHATTENMONSTER / SERENISSIMA tPLAYED FOR YOUSCHATTENMONSTERA SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT MEMO GAMEMetermorphosen is a guaranteefor unusual and very fascinatingmemo games. After Mixed Double- Gemischtes Doppel in nowalready three different editionsthere are now Schattenmonster- Shadow Monsters which we areasked to remember. On the 72round memo tiles we encounter36 fantastic fable beings, two ofthem always make up a pair buta pair does not feature identicalimages but a monster and its darkshadow.Those 36 image pairs are nowused to play a standard memo inwhich you combine the correctmonster to a dark shadow. In orderto make it not too easy monsterand shadow are of course notdepicted on a background of thesame color, but the monster shadowsare always depicted on a graybackground.In addition to the normal memorules additional rules for a variantare provided for monsters andshadows:Schreck-Monster - when youuncover such a „Horror Monster“and do not immediately find thecounterpart for it, there are differentconsequences for eachof the three monsters: For MonsterLummy all pairs you alreadyfound are handed to your rightneighbor, for Schock all pairs ofall players are handed to your liftneighbor and for Alarm the facedownmonsters are frightenedand are reshuffled. As usual youwin with most pairs.As all other memos by Metermorphosenthis one is classy and challenging,but all the same comeswith a wink; it is fun, works welland Monster Schock can evenbe used for some tactic - if youknow where to find one - to takehis many pairs from your rightneighbor. Monstrous fun in thetrue sense of the word and youwant you can play interpretingink dots with the shadow tiles! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4Designer: Stephanie RothmeierArtist: Stephanie RothmeierPrice: ca. 18 EuroPublisher: Metermorphosen 12www.metermorphosen.deEVALUATIONMemo gameFor familiesVersion: multiRules: de enIn-game text: noComments:Good images * Classy components* Witty package *Fantastic memo versionCompares to:All memo games with differentimages on pairsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:8+TIME:20+SERENISSIMATRADE AT RENAISSANCE’S HEYDAYThis game was published 1996with a topic of conflict betweenfour cities around the Mediterranean,in this new edition playersrepresent Renaissance merchantfamilies. You begin with oneharbor and two galleys carryingthree sailors each.In order of their numbers theowner of the respective galleyis becoming active and choosesAction or Investment. Actionsare Loading, Movement, Saleor Battle. Your galley must alwayscarry at least one sailor;depending on who is in controlof a harbor you can move sailorsunrestrictedly or only betweenyour own galleys; commoditiesin harbors under your control areloaded for free, in other harborsyou pay for them. A galley movesone spot per sailor on board;when galleys meet a playerwith a more sailors on all of hisgalleys can put up a blockadewhich stops the active player’smovement, he continues withSale or Battle. Battles betweengalleys or galley and harbor aredecided by dice roll; you cannotconquer the last harbor of aplayer. In case you decide to investyou can acquire elements inall your own harbors - sailors, galleys,fortress or basilica. When allgalleys have been active a dogecard is drawn and implemented,in some rounds followed by apay-out. After the third pay-outthe richest player wins.Yes it is possible - one can takea good game and make it evenbetter - here the game wasstreamlined, shortened, theauction of turn order was deleted,distances where shortened,buildings were added,harbors score more often - and,yes, it is still Serenissima, evenwith a changed and more tacticalcombat system. An absolutemust-have! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4AGE:13+Designer: Dominique EhrhardArtist: D. Ehrhard, A. DemaegdPrice: ca. 30 EuroPublisher: Ystari 2012www.ystari.comEVALUATIONTrade gameWith friendsVersion: multiRules: de enIn-game text: noComments:New edition of Serenissima,Eurogames, 1996 * Lots ofchanges, also in the basicrule * Still the same gameas regards to flair, challenge,quality and basic mechanisms,if not a better oneCompares to:Unique mixture of resources managementand conflictOther editions:Serenissima, Eurogames, 1996TIME:90+WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website.ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 27

PLAYED FOR YOUu SHEEPDOGS OF PENDLETON HILL / SKELETON ISLANDSHEEPDOGS OF PENDLETON HILLSHEPHERD SHEEP TO THEIR SHEPHERDFor once a standard topic from adifferent perspective - sheep andshepherds, but we are neithersheep nor shepherd but the dogthat is asked to shepherd sheepto their shepherd high up on thehill; the higher you can take themthe more points you can score.You play cards from your hand to1) place a shepherd, he is nevermoved and can be placed anywherebut with another shepherdof his color, 2) add a sheepto a flock in a pen, 3)move a flockfrom a pen on one of the pasturesin the lowest of a total offour levels on the hill, 4) move aflock one level up on an adjacentpasture, 5) move a flock sidewayson the same level into anadjacent pasture or 6) move thewolf. Cards marked “1“ allow youto place a shepherd and move orplace sheep, of your own color togetheror without those of othercolors. “1+1” means the same as“1”, but once for your own coloronly and once for another’s color,only! “2” means all actions only foryour own color or move the wolf.You score points when sheep ofyour own color meet one of yourown shepherds, the amountvaries with the level where theymeet. Sheep and shepherd gooff board into stock for later use.When sheep and wolf meet onesheep from the flock runs downhill.When the stack of cards andall sheepdog cards have beenplayed you win with the highesttotal of points.A nice topic implemented withan unusual mechanism for movement,somewhat predestinedby the cards; as you must makemoves for others it tends to getrather tactical in-between; andto run straight up the hill is notalways the optimum tactic; it isbetter subtly entice others to tosomething for you! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:3-5Designer: Max MichaelArtist: Paul SharpPrice: ca. 35 EuroPublisher: Stratamax 2012www.stratamax.comEVALUATIONPlacement gameWith friendsVersion: multiRules: de enIn-game text: noComments:Interesting mechanism* Lots of tactic despitesimple basic rules * Movefor others introduces newperspectivesCompares to:MarraCash for joint movement ofmixed groupsOther editions:Currently noneAGE:10+TIME:45+SKELETON ISLANDDIG UP A TREASURE MAPDuring a walk on the beach wefind scraps of the treasure mapand a cold coin and are now determinedto find the treasure!Sand cards show parts of a treasuremap, halves and quarters infive colors, ore pirate’s objectsor Gold coins. Those cards areshuffled, and then you turn overhalf of the stack and shuffle itinto the other half so that thestack of cards shows half of thecards face-up and half of themface-down. Then you spreadout the stack for a sandy beachor sand heap.In your turn you decide on apirate’s move or on a standardmove. In a standard move youtake one free, that is completelyvisible card from the beach andcan keep it or put it back to theedge of the beach. If you do notkeep it, you can choose a secondfree card, which you then mustkeep in any case. If you decide ona pirate’s move you can discardthree cards previously collectedin standard moves and theneither steal a cad from anotherplayer or do two standard turns.Cards that you discard for thismust be parts of treasure mapsof different colors or pirate’s objectsor a combination of both.If you can assemble completecard of one color, regardless fromhow many parts, you take the islandcard of this color.When all island cards are taken orwhen all cards have been takenfrom the beach you win withmost points from island cardsand gold coins.This is i cute game for children orbeginners; the treasure cards areeasy to assemble, the choices ofmoves enable you to play quicklya bit of tactic can but need nothappen using pirate’s moves - anice game for in-between! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4Designer: Florian FayArtist: Olivier FagnèrePrice: ca. 13 EuroPublisher: ilopeli 2012www.ilopeli.comEVALUATIONCard collecting gameFor childrenVersion: multiRules: de en fr it nlIn-game text: noComments:Good topic for children *Sandy beach nicely simulated* Simple basic rules *Plays quicklyCompares to:All set collecting games with swappingcards with a displayOther editions:Currently noneAGE:5+TIME:20+Color codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are28 ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 32 and 33www.gamesjournal.at

SPIEL DES LEBENS ZAPPED / TALISMAN tPLAYED FOR YOUSPIEL DES LEBENS ZAPPEDA CLASSIC WITH iPAD SUPPORTIf you know the Game of Life andwould like to play it using themost current modern technologyyou should try this edition, Spieldes Lebens zapped:First of all you download the appfor this game from the App Storeonto your iPad and then use allcomponents from the game boxand the iPad with activated app.First you set up your avatar forNEW GAME, enter a name andchoose a virtual car and a littleman-peg and place the correspondingcomponents on theboard.Already at the start you decidebetween fast career and longereducation.In your turn you turn the wheelof life on the iPad, move your carforward on the board and implementinstructions. At forks in theroad you choose one of the availablepaths. The instructions for aspot that you reach are acquired,when applicable, by touching thespots marked with an app symbolon the iPad. Stop marks must beadhered to, even when you haveto relinquish remaining steps. Effectsof spots that are not markedwith an app symbol are implementedaccording to instructionson the board.When all players have reachedthe spot „Retirement“ you winwith most money; you enter theamount of money you acquiredinto the app, which now modifiesthe amount by life tiles you wonand eventual babies; when youare now the richest player you win.This is a real hybrid game; the piecesmove on the board, you handleand administrate real money, payin into the bank and get it from thebank, but on „Payday“ you play amini game on the iPad to win abonus. If you like Spiel des Lebensand own an iPad you will have funwith this variant, as it also is supplementedby cute videos. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4Designer: not statedArtist: not statedPrice: ca. 40 EuroPublisher: Hasbro 2012www.hasbro.deEVALUATIONBoard game with appFor childrenVersion: deRules: de enIn-game text: yesComments:Free download for the app* No internet connectionnecessary to play *Standard mechanismssupplemented with minigames and videosCompares to:Zapped editions of other games, e.g.MonopolyOther editions:Hasbro USAAGE:8+TIME:60+TALISMANDRAGON EXPANSIONEach player guides a characterin possession of a basic equipmentof talent, luck and gold,this can vary during the game.These characteristics and theevent cards plus reactions of thecharacter influence the game.Die Drachen is the 4th expansionfor the 4th edition of Talisman.Three Draconian Lords - immenselypowerful and immenselyevil - have returnedto the Lands of Fire, they wantto acquire the Crown of Command.Players draw dragonmarkers at the start of the gamewhich usually results in placementof a dragon scale ontoone of the Dragon Lords Whena lord has acquired three scalesis turns Dragon King and a scaleis placed on the board. Whena character encounters such ascale he draws a Dragon cardinstead of a normal adventurecard from the stack. When hesuccessfully completes the confrontationhe keeps the Dragonscale, it enhances his combatpower against the DraconianLords and their minions. DieDrachen expands the gamewith a new double-sided boardfor the Inner Region, either featuringthe Draconian Tower fora final confrontation with theDragon King or featuring familiarterrain demanding new tactics.The expansion comprises 300new cards and markers as wellas six new characters and miniatures,supplemented by threedifferent new alternate end-ofgamecards; you have to decideon their use before you start thegame. The new board and cardscan be used separately fromeach other.As usual this expansion is a mustfor all fans of the game, againand still fantastically good, and anew attractive extension of waysto play in Talisman country. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-6AGE:9+Designer: John GoodenoughArtist: TeamPrice: ca. 35 EuroPublisher: Heidelberger 2012www.hds-fantasy.deEVALUATIONExpansionWith friendsVersion: deRules: de en and othersIn-game text: yesComments:Expansion can be usedcompletely or only in parts* For use with other expansions,also with Highlandor Catacombs * Beautifulcomponents and sensational graphicsas usualCompares to:All editions and expansions ofTalismanTIME:90+Other editions:FFG, Giochi Uniti, Edge Entertainment,Galaka,WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website.ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 29

PLAYED FOR YOUu THE HOBBIT / TIPTOITHE HOBBITAN UNEXPECTED JOURNEYBilbo Beutlin is surprised at BagEnd by the arrival of 13 dwarveswho manage to persuade him tojoin them as a master thief on anunexpected journey. But beforethe group can set out, Gandalf,Dwalin, Fili and Kili need to findthe other dwarves who managedto get lost in the hobbitholes.First the game is assembled,then each player chooses acharacter. The cream-coloredpieces are hidden secretly in thehobbit holes, one per hole. Inyour turn you roll the die: For anumber you advance your characterby this amount of steps,orthogonally, not diagonally.For the map you go to any hole.At the hole you reached to raisethe cover stone with the help ofa flare and show the beige tile toall players. If is a dwarf you takethe dwarf and set it down openfaced.When you found a symbol,a hobbit or a meal, you place thetile next to the hole and try tofind the second half of the pair inanother hole. When you manageto do so you can call a dwarf withtwo symbols, that is, you can lookinto a hole of your choice. Whenyou thereby find a dwarf youcan take him, other tiles you putback. Two hobbits earn you informationyou can look into a holesecretly. For two meals a playerof your choice must put backone of his dwarves into a hole.When you directly find a dwarfwhen looking for the second tileyou cannot keep him! When alldwarves have been found thewinner is the player who foundmost of them.The Hobbit is a very attractiveimplementation of the currenttopic; as usual the first fun is providedby assembling the game,and then you have fun playingit, with the Lego Die that challengesyou to invent your ownrules. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4Designer: not statedArtist: not statedPrice: ca. 35 EuroPublisher: Lego 2012www.lego.deEVALUATIONMemo and search gameFor childrenVersion: multiRules: de en fr it nlIn-game text: noComments:Fantastic components andattractive board, as usual* Very nice mechanism *Topic and mechanism gowell together * Rule variantssuggestedCompares to:All other Lego games featuring theLego DieOther editions:Currently noneAGE:7+TIME:25+TIPTOIMISSION IM LESEDSCHUNGELAs adventurers players venturedeep into the jungle in order tomaster challenging missions - theHunt for the Fabled Ruby of theMaharaja or the Search for the RarestAnimals in the World providealways new challenges which youcan master alone or together withup to three more players.The game must be set up accordingto instructions; you shouldchoose a table that is standingby itself, because in some of themissions you need room to move,because actions are demanded,for instance running around thetable.This means that you not only needattention and concentration andneed to listen closely to what thetiptoi pen tells you and take painsto read the cards carefully and exactlybut that you also need mobilityand agility and dexterity for theaction tasks in some missions.You must cooperate in order towin together and at the start youchoose a mission from 15 missionsin three levels of difficulty. Whenthe pen knows what you havechosen it names the six readingcards you need for the missionand then the pen tells you whoseturn it is and sets a task for you.Sometimes you must move themarker and touch the movementpoints on the way with the pen,one after the other. The compassrose is necessary in this game fordirectional information and tochoose player colors and levels ofdifficulty.When all tasks of a mission havebeen completed all players wintogether.For all tiptoi games there can beonly one verdict - fantasticallydone, intensely educational, providinglots of fun intense stimulation;not for nothing the seriesis THE bestseller in the Ravensburgerprogram during the lasttwo years. INFORMATIONPLAYERS:1-4Designer: Kai HaferkampArtist: Michael MenzelPrice: ca. 20 EuroPublisher: Ravensburger 2012www.ravensburger.deEVALUATIONInteractive educationalFor childrenVersion: deRules: deIn-game text: yesComments:Challenging and informative* High enticementvalue * Lots of fun to play *High educational valueCompares to:All editions of tiptoi and all educationalgames on the topic of readingOther editions:Currently noneAGE:7+TIME:varColor codes, target groups, features, icons and GABIS are30 ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 explained on page 5 and at the bottom of pages 32 and 33www.gamesjournal.at

VIVA JAVA / WORLD IN FOUR tPLAYED FOR YOUVIVA JAVATHE COFFEE GAMENot a quiz game, not a life stylegame but a semi-cooperative negotiationgame in which a groupof experienced Fields Researcherstravels all over the world tofind best-selling coffee blends. Ifyou travel furthest and are mostdiligent you will be promotedand can retire in style - with alife-long supply of coffee!In the course of the game you developand research new blendsof coffee in ever-changing teams.Each round of the game comprisesthree distinct phases whichare repeated until one of thethree end-of-game conditions ismet. Then you win with the highesttotal of points acquired fromBlending and Researching.In the field phase players alternateto place their explorermarkers on a map of the worldand collect beans; then playerssort themselves into teams andeither blend coffee to score orresearch to acquire abilities. Inthis phase a lot of discussionhappens; you can make promisesyou never intend to keep and negotiateuntil all players are able todecide which side of their Blend/Research marker they want toshow. The action of a team is decidedby a majority vote. Then, inthe third phase, plays add newblends to the best-seller list andcalculate their score. Then themixtures „degrade“ and becomeweaker.When there is not enough roomavailable for new blends or whena player manages to reach theend of four ability tracks or arrivesat a total score of 21 the gameends and all players add up theirpoints for their final score.Unusual, with an immenselyinteresting topic and equally interestinggame mechanics; youneed to plan, to interact, to forcealliances - a real power packageof a game! INFORMATIONPLAYERS:3-8Designer: T.C. Petty IIIArtist: TeamPrice: ca. 45 EuroPublisher: Dice Hate Me Games 12www.dicehatemegames.comEVALUATIONWorker PlacementWith friendsVersion: enRules: enIn-game text: yesComments:Good mix of planningand interaction, luck andstrategy * Alliances areessential, as is adaption tounexpected events * StunningcomponentsCompares to:First game of this kind and topic,basically worker placement andnegotiation gamesOther editions:Currently noneAGE:13+TIME:90+WORLD IN FOURCOUNTRIES OF THE WORLDJustin Oh, game designer forGemblo, brought to Essen agame on countries and flags,World of Four.The game offers four cards eachfor 13 countries of the worldplus two cards for South Koreaand four card holders. The storyof the game tells us that we arespies collecting information;each nation provides four differentkinds of information held byother spies, that is, other players.The game is prepared accordingto the number of players andthen you try to collect quartetsof country cards.The sets of cards are rather pretty,in each set for a country thereis a card showing the flag, onefor the capital, one with a politicalmap and one with a famoustouristic sight.In a turn you have two actions- turn up one of the face-downcards in the display and show itto all players; if a player believesthat he can use the card for a sethe announces this and shows allcards. When he is correct you goto step two of your move, if notthis player puts a card down intothe common display. In the secondstep/action you ask anotherplayer for a card from a country- if he holds it he gives it to you.If he has it or not, the turn passesto this player.When all quartets have beenfound and assembled you winwith most points; quartets 1 to 5are worth 5 points each; quartets6 to 13 are worth their numberand the two cards for South Koreaare worth 10 points.The rules for the English versionleave a lot of room for interpretations,for instance about thequestion what card must bediscarded in case of a wrongannouncement. All in all againa game that is of interest as anexample of Korean game design.INFORMATIONPLAYERS:2-4Designer: Justin OhArtist: B. H. AhnPrice: ca. 16 EuroPublisher: Gemblo 2012www.gemblo.comEVALUATIONCard collecting gameFor childrenVersion: multiRules: en krIn-game text: noComments:Pretty cards * Basicallysimple mechanisms * Rulesleave room for interpretation* Mixture of memoand Happy FamiliesCompares to:Happy Family, memo gamesOther editions:Currently noneAGE:7+TIME:15+WIN The Games Journal now also available as eBook!www.gamesjournal.at For all information on that check our website.ISSUE 448 / FEBRUARY 2013 31

NEW ARRIVALSu A QUICK GLIMPSE ON NEWCOMERSDER HERR DER RINGE DIE LANGE DUNKELHEITPublisher: HeidelbergerDesigner: Nate FrenchDISNEY PRINCESS MEMORYPublisher: RavensburgerHANABIPublisher: AbacusspieleDesigner: Antoine BauzaZwergenbinge Die Lange Dunkelheit / Dwarrowdelf The LongDark is the 4th Adventure Pack = AP for the LCG Der Herr derRinge Das Kartenspiel / The Lord of the Rings The Card Game,featuring 60 cards, with a difficulty level of 7. Cards come fromthis AP and the encounter sets “Biegungen und Abzweigungen”sowie “Gefahren der Grube” from the Khazad-Dum extension.There are now orientation tests for individual heroes andsome cards have “lost the way” effect; a new Card in The LongDark scenario is “Cave Torch”. Secrecy is a new keyword andreduces the costs for playing a card from hand in relation tothe threat level. Version: de * Rules: de en es fr pl * In-game text: yesExpansion for the card game for 1-2 players, ages 13+The well known game mechanisms of memory are here usedfor a game featuring the lovely princesses from Disney films,from Arielle to Cinderella. 72 cards form 36 pairs and showimages from the film. As usual, you play according to standardmemory rules: In your turn you reveal two tiles. IF you havefound a pair, you keep it and can turn up another pair of cards.If you have turned up different images, you turn both tilesover again and the turn passes to the next player. When allpairs have been found and taken you win with most pairs.Version: multi * Rules: de en es fr it nl * In-game text: noMemo game for 2-8 players, ages 4+All players together make up one firework in each color, usingcards of values One to Five in ascending order. You only see theother players’ cards and give card information to a player ordiscard a card or play a card to a firework. To give informationand discard a card, one uses a white or black hint tile which isturned over to the other side. If you play a wrong card, you turnover a lighting tile. Should the third lightning tile be turnedover, all have lost the game together. When the fireworks arecomplete and cards left in the draw pile, all win together. Firstpublished by Cocktail Games, 2011.Version: de * Rules: de fr * In-game text: noCooperative card game for 2-5 players, ages 8+IM WIMMELKINDERGARTENPublisher: HabaMEINE FARBEN UND FORMENPublisher: RavensburgerPOLITIKER ROMMÉPublisher: Amigo SpieleHaba, too, is using an interactive reading and narrative pen,which at Haba goes by the name of TING; Im Wimmelkindergartenuses this technology to portrait a day in the nursery- players can accompany Emma through her day - sing, play,do handicraft, play in the garden and read together. The pennarrates and informs with a total of 450 words, sounds andstories and also provides four games: Zähl mit mir!, Ich sehewas!, Such mit mir! and Richtig oder falsch! Each page ofthe book contains a small puzlle, which all together can becombined into a big puzzle.Version: de * Rules: de * In-game text: yesEducational game for 1 or more players, ages 3+Colors and shapes are important topics for toddlers and ofspecial interest to them; they need to be recognized and understoodand - in a next step of learning - allocated. Familiaranimals like cat, bunny and monkey assist them. At the startyou simply sort the colors into the corresponding area of thebox and name them; then you pick out all shapes of one colorand fit them into the corresponding gaps on the color board.As a next step you can sort the pieces by shape and colorinto the mixed-color boards and finally play a Shape Lottoor Shape Race using the shape die. Series “spielend Ersteslernen”. Version: de * Rules: de * In-game text: noPlacement game for 1-3 players, ages 1½+General parliamentary elections in Germany, which are ofcourse posing some questions - Who holds the best cards?Who can trick the opponent? Who can trump others? Withthis special deck of cards you might not be able to answerthose questions, but you can smile at the nice caricatureimages; the politicians have been assigned to card valueswith a twinkle - Queens are Merkel, Künast, Wowereit undWesterwelle, Steinbrück, Brüderle, Seehofer and Trittin areKings and so on ending with Christian Wulff or Karl Theodorzu Guttenberg as Jokers.Version: de * Rules: de * In-game text: noCard game for 2 or more players, ages 6+STORY CUBES CLUESPublisher: The Creativity HubDesigner: Rory O‘ConnorTOP TRUMPS FUSSBALLSTARS 4Publisher: Winning MovesZOZZLE FILLY ELVESPublisher: Noris SpieleDesigner: Elena FyrogeniA small box holds nine dice, each dice features six differentand unique images, abstract or not, that can be interpretedor named in many ways. This gives you 54 images or terms toplay with: You roll all nine dice, choose any for the starting dieand tell a story. This story must feature all nine images on thedice in any order; You can play alone or in a group; in a groupeach player tells a story and you vote for the best or eachplayer must continue the story by using one of the cubes.Clues/Spurensuche is one of three expansion packs withthree dice, images come from the crime/detection genreVersion: de * Rules: de en es fr it nl * In-game text: noNarrative game with dice for 1 or more players, ages 6+TOP TRUMPS SPORTS INTERNATIONALE FUSSBALLSTARS 4Choosing your card’s best attribute, beating (trumping) youropponent’s card, and winning the cards played in the round –already a Classic! Cards are dealt evenly to all players. The activeplayer chooses an attribute on his top card (no shufflingof the deck!) and calls out the corresponding value – all otherplayers check their cards for the value of this attribute – theplayer with the highest value gets all cards of this round. Incase of a tie cards go on the table and the winner of the nextround receives those too. Themeset: Sports InternationaleFussballstars 4. Version: de * Rules: de * In-game text: yesCard/quiz game for 2 or more players from age 8Puzzle with the help of your memory is the motto of theZozzle series. 45 tiles are laid out face down. In your moveyou turn up two tiles. If they are different, your move ends. Ifthey both show the same part of the picture, you may takeone of the tiles and turn the other over again. If you have thatpart already in your puzzle, you turn back both tiles. Then youhave another move and turn up two tiles. You win if you arethe first to complete your puzzle. Also available with otherimages.Version: multi * Rules: de en fr it * In-game text: noPlacement and memo game for 2-4 players, ages 4+32Color codes for target groups (Headline Color)For children + learn With friendsFor familiesFor expertsColor codes for features (Bar in Evalution box)ChanceTacticStrategyCreativityKnowledgeMemoryCommunicationInteractionDexterityAction

HIGHLIGHTS AMONG GAMES tFROM THE MUSEUMHUGO KASTNER RECOMMENDSI’M THE BOSSSID SACKSON’S LEGACYDear readers! „I’m the Boss“ is a new editionof „Kohle, Kies & Knete“, nominated for Gameof the Year 1994) and published by Schmidt,and one that must be gladly acclaimed asthe original - as Knut-Michael Wolf, the editorof the first German edition blithely stated- „this is the best he [Sackson] has everdesigned.If you are familiar with some games from themaster’s Œvre, but do not know „Kohle, Kies& Knete“ you will be able to join the gamingtable with tension and a high degree of expectationsfrom this negotiation poker.The history of “I’m the Boss” goes back evenfurther into the creative time of Sid Sackson.A not very presentable card game editionwas published for the US-American marketalready back in the Eighties under the nameof „It’s a Deal“. This was not really feasible forthe German market and the rules very completelyrevised. Fortunately Schmidt was ableto hire a meticulous dedicated professionalin the person of Knut Michael Wolf to workon rules adaption adequate to the approachto games on this side of the Atlantic. Maybe Ishould rather use rules expansion or rules regeneration,as - and this is stated by the editorhimself in an interview - his own contributionto a readable and catching introductionto this atypical Sackson game is ratherformidable. Well, premature accolades arenow given, so now we can confront the corequestion, the assessment of this new issue’squality. [From: WIN March 2005, HK] You cancome to your conclusion in Leopoldsdorf imMarchfeld, in the Austrian Games Museum.Website: www.spielen.atA board with sixteen squares and one „dollar“marker are lit up by the light of mylamp and entice you to turbulent investments.And as fun and wits are also presentat the table the investor cards showcorresponding names: Carolyn Cashman,Debra Dougherty, George Goldman, LanceLiebgeld (Dearmoney), Stephanie Sacks[ac accolade to Sid Sackson, HK] und WillWadsworth.Now, what is the aim of the game? To stateit baldly, to amass money, to finalize dealswith a profit, to embody the motto of thegame’s title („I’m the Boss“), and, first andforemost, to have the most money at theend of the game.Typically American, you might want to remark.Well, at least the world of financialtransactions is mirrored in an interestingway. Any reputable player takes on thebank, but all players individually beginwith empty purses. „I’m the Boss“ is poweredby negotiations for every single dollar,by continuous, somewhat surprisinginsertions of cards that sent Lady Luck likea ping-pong ball here or there. You suffermore when more player friends are assembledat the table and lustily comment onmissed mega deals of others with untrammeledgloating, when there are vociferousdiscussions, maybe supported with a conclusiveargument in the guise of a surprisecard. This takes us to the crucial point:„I’m the Boss“ is not a game for restrained,cogitating people, because there is barelytime to think about the use of one cardor the other, because everybody, reallyeverybody, act all the time and simultaneously.The more temperament you use tomanipulate small or large transaction, themore decisive you are the more you willentice your fellow players into improvidentactions.Total interaction is the trademark of thismasterly game by Sid Sackson. Will therebe enough at the end? Wait and see - therecan only be one true tycoon!Comments to: Hugo.Kastner@spielen.atHomepage: www.hugo-kastner.at RECOMMENDATION #89Designer: Sid SacksonArtist: William O‘ConnorPrice: ca. 30 EuroYear: 2003Publisher: Face2Face Gameswww.face2facegames.comPLAYERS:3-5AGE:12+TIME:60+•••••••••Tactic Info+ ChanceRegardless of how you plan your tactics to besuccessful you need, in addition to a lucky allocationof cards, you need investors and clanmembers provided by fellow players. And theydo nothing for free! But this is business, whenmoney is in play. The valuable support cards ofyour fellow players remain hidden until used, sobusiness is always like walking a tightrope andnothing can top a decisive, last-minute, loudand masterly I’m the Boss, uttered at a decidingdeal and with an American accent.Hugos EXPERT TIPShould you be looking for an improvement on„Kohle, Kies und Knete“ in this new edition ofthe game, you will look in vain. If you own theSchmidt edition you can pass on „I’m the Boss“.Okay, they offer a few small in-house versions, ofwhich I like the one best which does not changethe order of play when a Boss card is played.Hugos FLASHLIGHTOnce you have experienced the pulsating, livelystriving for a mega deal you will recommend „I’mthe Boss“ to each none too cognitive group ofplayers. The rather dry denomination of “negotiationgame” does give no inkling of the innerdynamics in this master piece by Sid Sackson. Soprepare for a turbulent evening, especially thenloud, clever negotiations suit your character. „I’mthe Boss“ is a sure winner for players with convincingarguments.VORANKÜNDIGUNG:BRIDGEQUEEN OF CARD GAMESIMPRESSUMOffenlegung nach dem Mediengesetz: Medieninhaber, Eigentümer, Verleger und Hersteller: Verein „Österreichisches Spiele Museum“,vertreten durch Obfrau Dipl. Ing. Dagmar de Cassan, Raasdorferstrasse 28, 2285 Leopoldsdorf im Marchfelde, Österreich, Telefon 02216-7000,mail-to: office@spielen.at, Internet: www.spielejournal.at - www.gamesjournal.at - Chefredakteur: Dipl.Ing. Dagmar de CassanBlattlinie: Die Blattlinie ist die Meinung aller Redakteure, freien Mitarbeitern und Gastautoren. Die Spiele zur Erstellung der Rezensionen stelltdas Österr. Spiele Museum für die Dauer der Arbeit kostenlos zur Verfügung. Niemand erhält Sach-,Service-, Geldleistungen von den Verlagen.(Alle nicht namentlich gekennzeichneten Rezensionen zu den Spielen sind von Dagmar de Cassan) English Edition Version 1.0Copyright (c) 2013 by Spielen in Österreich - Die Spiele Collection, Spiele Kreis Wien, Österreichisches Spielefest,Spielefest, Wiener Spiele Akademie, Spiel der Spiele und zwei Spiele-Symbole sind eingetragene Warenzeichen.Ihre Email-Adresse: Wir versenden oft an unsere Mitglieder, Abonnenten und Interessenten eine Erinnerung fürTermine und sonstige Infos. Wenn Sie noch nie eine Email von uns erhalten haben, fehlt uns Ihre Email!Icon explanationSolo Play Two Players Large Groups Recommended Minimum AgeGABIS explanation on page 533